The Fragmented Tale Part 3: The Darkheart Crystal
by Caejan
Summary: Completed novel sized fic. Months after the events of Kingdom Hearts, the Darkness is again at work. This time, however, the threat is even greater and to save the worlds Sora must leave them all behind and find the Door to the Light.
1. Kydran

Welcome to Chapter 1 of The Darkheart Crystal. tDC is Part 3 of a larger work called The Fragmented Tale; the 'parts' in order are Genetermina, Kingdom Hearts, The Darkheart Crystal, and Breaking Eight. tDC is already completed, but I will be posting it in chunks. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 1** - **Kydran

* * *

**

"The stars are blinking out again... it doesn't make sense! We closed Kingdom Hearts!"

"I don't know how, either. But the walls are falling anyway, and the Darkness is taking the worlds back."

The small room in the Second District was quiet then. Sora's expression reflected his frustration, and Leon's features were grim. The two sat, looking at each other, searching for an answer neither of them possessed. Then the fifteen-year-old boy, Sora, spoke.

"The Kingdom Key is still with me, so I guess that means is still has a purpose. Kingdom Hearts must not be fully closed... man, I wish things would just start making sense!" He threw his arms up in exasperation, and moved to the window overlooking the Second District in its entirety.

Traverse Town was much, much busier at that time than ever before. Sora and Leon were in a room twelve stories up, in one of many large structures that had been built to accommodate the masses of people appearing in alleyways and street corners and closets and anywhere somebody wasn't looking.

"It's as if the Darkness isn't even bothering with _people's_ hearts anymore," observed Aerith at the beginning of the discussion, prior to her running off on an errand to the Accessory Shop.

True enough, it seemed. Traverse Town wasn't just bustling with people, however. Animals, aliens, plants, and any other thing that could possibly possess a heart 'appeared' in Traverse Town. The world itself had nearly doubled in size, but it was now limited to the two original districts. Sora had visited the Third. He had no desire to go back.

"Cid's gummi shop is still in business, right? Maybe I should just get a ship together and go."

"I don't think you should, Sora," Leon replied. "Donald and Goofy aren't with you. You can't go alone."

Sora looked to the shag carpet of the little apartment, and sighed. It was true. Donald and Goofy were nowhere to be found. Leon had asked him upon his arrival where they were, but Sora could only shake his head and point out that he had gotten into Town the same way that he had the first time. He awoke in an alley. All alone.

Alone, except for his Keyblade.

"I still need to see what's happening," Sora retorted, his headstrong attitude becoming apparent. "I'm the Keyblade Master. Isn't it my duty?"

"Your duty won't mean anything if you lose your heart," Leon replied coolly, standing up from the seat he had occupied. He headed toward the door.

"Too many questions," Sora sighed, getting up and following Leon to the doorway. The warrior, sporting longish brown hair and a black outfit, opened the door for the boy with the bright red jumpsuit and hoodie-vest.

"Look," said Leon, closing the door behind him as he removed his weapon, the gunblade, from the nook beside the door frame, "We'll find the others, talk to them, and figure something out. Something has to be done."

Sora only nodded. His brow was furrowed in thought.

"Sounds like a plan."

So the two made their way to the First District.

* * *

_Wake up._

"Wha...? What?"

_Come on, wake up._

"Who are you? What's... what's going on?"

_It doesn't matter. Wake up before _it_ wakes up._

"He...? Is this... inside my head...? I must have fallen... really hard..."

"Wake up!"

"Ungh... huh?"

"Well? You just gonna lay there all day? I don't have all the time in the world, you know."

The voice sounded annoyed, but the boy had to smile. He liked the sound of that voice; it was sweet, mellow, it reminded him of-

She shook him. His body reacted by jolting his eyes open and flailing. His voice opened up into what could be defined as an "Ack!", but came out sounding more like a "Wagh!". She looked into his strikingly handsome green eyes. He looked into her own soft violet eyes. He began to chuckle. Startled by a face as pretty as that? Had to be some kind of joke.

"See? I knew you weren't dead," she joked, smiling and straightening herself. She ran a hand through her semi-long black hair and shook her head, doing so in disbelief, but more in the acknowledgment of irony. "You're not the first person to show up in a random alleyway."

He picked himself up, and looked himself over. He felt fine. A little groggy, but otherwise fine. His clothing was intact. The young man looked over his awakener. She seemed fine, too.

The young man was well dressed, stylishly to say the least. He sported a pair of black, very baggy pants, from which hung a number of belts and buckles and zippers, all of which were for looks, but looked they did. He wore a black t-shirt, the sleeves of which flared out and fell just past his elbows. Over the shirt was a black leather vest with a high collar, and the girl spotted a thick silver chain about his neck. He didn't appear used to being 'checked out'; he grinned lopsidedly, and an awkward moment passed until finally she spoke.

"I suppose you could start by giving me your name."

Here, the young man opened his mouth, as if to say something, let the name roll right off his tongue, but found himself unable to do so. He frowned. He tried to say his name again, and then held himself silent, feeling as though he would give her the wrong name.

"Maybe you hit your head a little hard. I'm Pandora. You just keep working on that name. Come on, there's places to go for guys like you."

"Guys like me?"

"I'll say it again, then. 'You're not the first person to show up in a random alleyway,'" smiled Pandora, pivoting on the ball of her foot and walking away. The boy jogged to catch up with her, and then fell into a frantic reverie to collect his name.

"Before you go asking the series of questions that accompanies showing up in a strange town in a strange alley meeting strange people with no idea what to do, I'll explain a few things. This is Traverse Town. It's where people go when their worlds have been destroyed; imagine it like the beach

(_beach?_)

that you would wash up on after your boat sinks. Nobody here's a 'native'; it's like one giant hotel. Nobody wants to be here forever, but they don't have anyplace to go, either."

"Kydran."

"Huh?"

"My name is Kydran," said the black-haired boy, finally having achieved a name whilst absorbing the information Pandora was feeding him. He couldn't resist listening to her, and certainly couldn't resist looking at her. He felt drawn. Kydran prayed she didn't notice.

"Oh, good, you remembered it! Now, just a word of advice: don't go around asking people about their pasts. Everyone's got a sad history here."

"That's fine," said Kydran, and it was true. He didn't want to know, at least for the time being.

Pandora navigated the streets, and Kydran was too dazed to keep track of all the lefts and rights. He couldn't recall ever seeing so many people, much less so many different kinds of people and entities gathered in one spot, going about their own individual business.

"This is the Second District. There are three Districts in Traverse Town. They're aptly named the First, Second, and Third Districts."

Kydran found himself wondering how old Pandora was. She looked to be his own age, which he couldn't recall, either. Fifteen. Sixteen, maybe.

"The Second District has all the housing; it's where the majority of the people live. The First District is where all the shops are. If you can't find something in the First District, you won't find it anywhere. And then there's the Synth Shop if you like making things. The Third District, however, is deserted. It hasn't grown at all for at least a year; nobody will go in. It's infested with Heartless. I'm sure you've run across them. Little black creatures, big black creatures, gnarly little antennae, creepy glowing yellow eyes..."

"I can't say that I have," replied the boy, and he was again lost in thought.

"That's strange. Either way, don't go in the Third District unless you plan on having your heart ripped from your chest. Speaking of hearts, you know why your world went up in smoke, right?" Pandora continued.

"Nope," Kydran responded, trying to speak as little as possible while trying to unfurl the mystery that was before him. He realized, and it didn't take him too long, that his name wasn't the only thing he had a hard time remembering. He simply couldn't remember _anything_.

Pandora pressed on. "The little black monsters are called Heartless. They find hearts and devour them. All worlds have hearts, too, like you do. So when enough Heartless-

(_do I have a heart anymore?_)

...gather at a world's heart, it becomes destroyed, and so does the world."

They were not far from the gate to the First District.

"Where did you learn all of this?" asked Kydran, just then realizing that she knew an awful lot.

"You just... learn it all. Or figure it out. We're talking about a place where refugees stay. People are going to figure out what's going on sooner or later," replied the girl, and Kydran could only agree. "Are you looking for anybody? Any friends?"

"...no," said the boy. He couldn't remember.

"You're a strange individual, Kydran," observed Pandora.

"I'm beginning to think so, myself," he said. The two moved through the large archway and massive wooden doors leading into the First District.

The First District was even busier than the first, not to mention louder. Peddlers crying their wares, the best manner of advertisement in those thick city streets, caught Kydran's attention, and he heard them referring to various amounts of 'munny'.

"I take it money is the currency, right?" queried the black-haired child as he observed.

"M-u-n-n-y. Munny. Yes, you can't afford to be without it... best to get a job, get some of the stuff, and try and set up a home here, though Reifa will be happy to let you stay at our little inn yonder," she said brightly. Kydran wondered if she was flirting.

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yup. And we're not too far... Reifa runs the whole place, I mostly just help out. She's my aunt, and the only person I could find who survived our world's collapse."

"Wow," he toned. "I'm sorry to he- agh!"

(_don't forget me don't let it go you can't I can't I can't take this burden-)_

Kydran's sentiment was abruptly cut off as he ran into another boy. His eyes had been locked on the cobblestone street, and he had been following Pandora through his peripherals, primarily, so he hadn't seen the other young man in the bright red jumpsuit and huge yellow shoes who sported a mess of brown hair atop his head. Sora hadn't seen Kydran in the way, either, because for once he hadn't felt so jolly and had been studying the ground as he walked. The two stumbled back, and both Leon and Pandora could tell that something deeper than a mere collision had shocked the two boys, for they stood, eyes wide, looking at the other in surprise. Kydran's emerald oculars switched from the roadblock to the other man, who held a rather threatening weapon, a gun-sword hybrid. He then glanced to Pandora, whose arms were folded in impatience.

"...whoa..." uttered Sora, his eyes locked on Kydran.

Kydran was not capable of doing much but gaping. He fought to get a hold of himself. He was disoriented, indeed, feeling as if his thoughts had been thrown into a blender. He regained his composure and, snapping back to reality, shrugged and grinned. "Whoa is right. Sorry about that."

At this, Sora's mood shifted from shock to curiosity. The casual and friendly nature of the response made him feel more comfortable. Still, he felt unnerved by the sudden (and now unwanted) connection. Sora grinned weakly in response and addressed the young man.

"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind."

(_I can tell_)

"...yeah. It's okay," said Kydran, who glanced nervously to Pandora, as though pleading for her assistance in a matter neither of them understood but only one had experienced.

"Sora, Aerith and Yuffie are waiting for us, we need to go," reminded Leon, who proceeded in the direction of the building marked 'Accessory Shop'.

"Oh, yeah. Bye!" Sora waved, following the taller warrior off to wherever they were headed. Kydran looked to Pandora, who could only shrug and shake her head, and the two made their way to the Sleepy Moogle Inn.

"Reifa came up with the name. When we were trying to figure out what to call it, a tired moogle turned her head into a hammock. It was pretty funny," commented Pandora, and Kydran could only wonder what in creation a moogle was.

He would be met with one as he entered the Inn, standing out of the way as the short, white creature with a pink pom-pom wiggling above its head ambled by.

If one word could sum up the nature of the Sleepy Moogle Inn, it was _cozy_. Kydran felt himself wanting to make himself at home the moment he stepped over the threshold. Despite the constant nighttime atmosphere of Traverse Town, the Inn was brightly lit and warm. He stood in a simple foyer, and ahead, facing the entrance, was the front desk. To his left he could see a stairway, which would lead up for two stories, and to his right he could hear the tinkling of glasses and the laughter of the patrons. The air tasted sweet and smelled rich and Kydran felt his stomach rumble loudly. How long had it been since he had eaten? He couldn't remember.

"Home sweet home!" chirped Pandora as she passed Kydran. She paused, then turned to him, smiling broadly. "I'll go find Auntie Reifa, you stay here." She pushed open the door to the dining area, where Kydran caught a glimpse of the numerous tables and people laughing and eating before the door closed again. He sighed.

Kydran found himself a seat in the lobby to sit in, and did so.

(_take this burden-_)

The memory of it flickered for a moment, and he was startled. It went as quickly and spontaneously as it came. The voice sounded so familiar. A boy's voice. He brushed the thought aside, and looked up at the ceiling, trying hard not to think of his situation. He just wanted food, and he wanted a place to stay. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Sora wandered behind Leon, his hands behind his head, his face an expression of complete perplexion. What had just happened? He didn't want to bring it up with Leon; that would certainly have given the man a reason to keep Sora from going to see why the worlds were disappearing again. He didn't want to tell anybody else, either. It felt to him as though it were important, personal, something that nobody else had seen or should see. 

Sora had never felt that way before. He was an honest individual, and more often than not, he blurted out how he felt. Not so this time.

The pair approached the accessory shop, pushed their way in, and found it to be filled with people buying charms and weapons and just about anything else Cid kept in his Accessory Shop. Leon somehow made his way to the front desk, grunting as he pushed a rather large man aside. Upon arrival at the front desk, he leaned forward on the counter. Cid saw them, and the look on his face was priceless- it seemed to scream 'I've never been this &# busy in my life!'. Sora could only laugh.

Leon shouted over the crowd, which wasn't something Leon did normally.

"Cid! Where's Aerith and Yuffie?"

The old pilot was only able to respond by flailing, accepting cash, and pointing at the door that led to Cid's recent addition to the Accessory Shop- their headquarters.

Leon turned and headed toward the door leading into HQ, and Sora followed suit. They entered through a curtain of beads and cloth into a small room, enough room for a table, some chairs, and a weapons rack. Yuffie's humongous throwing star and Aerith's staff was hung on it. Leon placed the gunblade on the rack, found a seat, and sat. Sora sat down as well, trying to recapture the memory of the black-haired boy.

"Sora wants to leave," Leon announced almost immediately, and this statement was followed shortly by Yuffie and Aerith giving a vigorous headshake.

"No way, Sora! You can't go it alone!" exclaimed Yuffie, immediately agitated.

"And we can't go with you. Traverse Town needs us," explained Aerith. Sora had always found her to be pretty, but she was much older than he was. Oh well.

"It can't need you that badly," pouted the brown-haired young man, eyes moving from Aerith to Leon to Yuffie, pleading.

"Yes, it can," replied Aerith, her head shaking. "Don't you wonder why Cid's shop and the synth shop are so busy?"

"Good economy? A lot of people live in Traverse Town now. I lot less **will** be living here if you guys would just let me go," responded Sora. He felt like a child, and saw Aerith and Leon and Yuffie in a strange parental role. He felt as though they were condescending him, holding him back. He didn't like the feeling at all.

"Nice guess, but that's not it," said Yuffie then, smiling in good humor. And then the smile faded. "The Heartless in the Third District are becoming more concentrated. They seem to be very restless, even more so than when you arrived with your Keyblade not long ago."

Yuffie was referring to his arrival in Traverse Town after shutting the door to Kingdom Hearts. He had no idea how long the interim had been, only that a lot of change had happened in Traverse Town since he had seen it previous to his journey to the End of the World. He had to admit, he hadn't given it much thought, either.

"Any idea why?" queried Leon, who was entertaining himself with catching pieces of loose lint floating around in the stale room.

"None at all," responded Aerith. Sora found this funny; so much was going on around them, but they knew so little and they wouldn't let him go and take care of business.

"You really think I can't do it alone? Maybe we could go back to Disney Kingdom, get Donald and Goofy... I don't care, I just... I just don't wanna be here anymore! My friends could be in danger, all the worlds are in danger and here I am listening to you people! I have promises to keep!"

The three others were taken aback by this sudden outburst. Leon was suddenly glaring at him.

"Alright, then, Sora. Let's throw caution to the wind. Let's strap you to a gummi ship and send you wherever. Then what? What if the Darkness overwhelms you? What if you lose the Keyblade? Hm? You told us yourself, your strength comes from your friends. Don't be foolish," snapped the Griever, who was now standing.

Sora only glared back at Leon. Yes, his strength came from his friends, but he wouldn't have any if things kept going like they were!

"Leon, calm down," cooed Aerith. Her voice did indeed have a calming effect. Leon sat back down, muttered something about Keyblade and headstrong, and was quiet. "Sora, you have to understand. We care about you, just as much as we care about your mission. If you're lost, it's not just your friends that will be hurt, but since you're the Keyblade Master, the fate of the worlds rests in your hands. You can't afford to be bull-headed. None of us can."

"Fine," was Sora's irritated response, and he watched the other three. They were impossible. Simply impossible.

"We'll try to get our hands on a gummi ship," spoke Aerith after a long silence, and she nodded as if doing so would solidify her statement. "Then we'll see about finding Donald and Goofy, or getting someone else to go with you. Cloud might be up to it. I don't know."

Sora could tell that Aerith didn't like the thought of sending Cloud, the one she loved, out into the middle of space to fight a Darkness that wasn't as obvious as the Heartless anymore. He admired this, and thought it a great gesture on Aerith's part, but the idea of being stuck in gummi-space with Cloud, who was about as much fun as a wet cardboard box, didn't appeal to him.

"As long as we do it quickly. The Destiny Islands- Kairi- could be in danger. More than anything I want to stop that from happening," said Sora. It was true; he still had a promise to keep. He still had the little charm that reminded him of that promise.

"Alrighty, then," piped Yuffie as she hopped up from her seat and made toward the weapon rack. "We'll get a gummi ship, go fetch you a flying partner, and you're off!"

Sora smiled. Yuffie didn't appear to have any problems at all.

Leon didn't seem so pleased. He stood, slowly, folded his arms, and nodded, although Sora wasn't paying much attention. Leon wasn't at the top of his 'best friend' list. This didn't seem to bother the fighter at all.

The group left the 'headquarters' and somehow made it out of the mob inside Cid's shop. They did it quickly; Cid would more than likely have roped one of them into helping him with the shop, and it was plain to them that being roped in could lead to a long evening.

They entered out into the streets, and made for the gummi-ship docks. Sora still didn't want to believe it. He had closed Kingdom Hearts. With Riku and Mickey's sacrifices they had closed the door, and here they were, again under the shadow of Darkness, the walls fallen and the lights in the sky fading away. Maybe their sacrifices meant nothing.

"Maybe our journey meant nothing, after all," said Sora under his breath, hormonal imbalances within the fifteen-year-old sending him spiraling into a brooding depression that would probably wear off and leave him in a mood at the exact opposite end of the spectrum. But for the moment he was Sora Doom-n-Gloom, and neither Yuffie, Leon, nor Aerith were going to make an attempt at pulling him out of it. Despair was rearing its ugly head in their hearts, as well.

Still, they took solace in the knowledge that each one of them was there for each other, and so made their way to the Town docks with their heads held high.


	2. Loomings

**

* * *

Chapter 2 - ****Loomings

* * *

**

_(...what is this place?)_

_Don't you remember? You created it._

_(I did? What is its name?)_

_I think you know._

_(No, I don't...)_

_What is your name?_

_(I... I can't remember...)_

_Then your journey is far from over._

Kydran looked up at the ceiling from his horizontal position in the bed. His head rested in his hands, lying on his interlaced fingers. His face was expressionless, but his eyes gave away the fact that he was deep in reverie. He dredged through what he could remember, and was finding, with a great deal of frustration, that he could remember nothing. Nothing previous to waking up in that alley. The first thing he remembered was that voice, soft and sweet.

Pandora's voice.

He had received a free night at the Sleepy Moogle Inn, and had been informed by Reifa that he could stay another if he wished, but after that he would wear out his welcome and have to find a job. Or another place to live in. Strangely, she never seemed too happy to see him. It was as though there was much she wanted to tell him, and none of it was pleasant.

He rolled the sheets off of himself, and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He looked himself over.

_'At least I know that I wear boxers,'_ he thought dryly, and stood up. The chain about his neck jingled. He lifted a hand up and wrapped his fingers around it. He wasn't hungry anymore, either; last night's dinner had been marvelously fulfilling, and he certainly couldn't remember the last time he had eaten like that. And despite his amnesia, he knew that he hadn't eaten a good meal for a very, very long time.

Oh well. He proceeded to pull the large black pants on, and looked out the window. It was still dark. Kydran recalled Pandora stating that it was always night in Traverse Town. For some unknown reason, he had not found it to be odd.

Slipping the black T-shirt, with its belled sleeves, over his head and tucking it into the pants, he reached for his black vest and swung it on. He plopped back down on the bed and pulled the (you guessed it) black combat boots on, then laced them up. He proceeded out the room's door without making his bed.

He proceeded down the hall and into the lobby. There he gave Reifa a wave a humble and heartfelt thank-you and stepped out the door. His eyes adjusted quickly from the warm light of the inn to the dimmer light outside. He made his way into the streets of Traverse Town.

He had made the decision in the previous night that he would go exploring, try to meet some people, get to know his new home. As such, he walked.

Kydran observed that it was steadily busy at all times in Traverse Town. Due to the constant nighttime atmosphere, when they were tired and when they were not determined people's sleeping periods. Shops were open at all times, so this made it easier for him as he perused in and out of them, and one shop in particular had caught his interest and would, inevitably, suck him into an epic adventure that he, perhaps, had been meant to take part in.

* * *

Cid was off-duty, and it was Yuffie's turn to watch and keep the shop. So there she stood, behind the counter, moving as quickly as she was able to take care of the mass of customers that were trying to purchase protective devices. The craze had, fortunately, been toned down since the previous evening, which she was thankful for. The black-haired, tank-topped, short-shorted, great ninja Yuffie was busy keeping shop. 

A young man pushed the door open, and it jingled as he did so. Yuffie made it a habit of glancing to the door when it opened or closed, and keep tabs on whom was in, what was in, and who and what was out. She felt, for whatever reason, that this boy was different, somehow. Not at all like the hundreds of customers who had made their business with Cid's Accessory Shop; maybe it was the fact that he wasn't wearing any color but black. Later, Yuffie would acknowledge that it was fate giving her a tap on the shoulder.

"Be right with you!" called she, and Kydran nodded, quiet. He trailed from rack to rack and shelf to shelf, examining, taking his surroundings in. He reached into his shirt and pulled out the pendant, grasping it in his hand, feeling its presence.

It was then that both a tall, muscled man with long brown hair sporting black clothing and a gunblade entered. He was followed shortly by Sora. The both of them looked rushed, breathing heavily, as if they had just run the triathlon. Sora spotted Kydran, and kept his eyes locked on him for the moment. Leon made for the front desk and called to Yuffie.

"Yuffie! The Heartless! They're broken out of the Third District! Close the shop, it's bad!" Leon shouted above the crowd, then turning and rushing out. Sora followed him in that direction. The people in the building had heard loud and clear, and made their way out. Yuffie ushered them along, and took note of Kydran, who was still standing around, looking clueless.

"Hey, kid, you need to leave! There's trouble in the Third District! Heartless!" she exclaimed, and pointed to the door.

"Heartless? What are those?" asked Kydran, though his feet were carrying him to the door.

"You don't know what a Heartless is? And you're in Traverse Town? Oh, man. Well, if you want to get a first-hand look, try to keep up!"

She shut and locked the door behind her, and barreled off in the direction of the Third District. Kydran was finding little problem keeping up; between dodging in and out of the crowd, outrunning the young lady, and trying to figure out what was going on, he was surprised he was able to do so. But he did. And it didn't take them long to reach the Third District.

What he saw stunned him. Small black monsters, Shadow Heartless, were streaming out of a small crack in the wall between the First and Third Districts. The hole wasn't big, but it was big enough to allow the diminutive Heartless, with their haunting yellow eyes, to escape two at a time.

The thing that stunned Kydran the most, however, was not the creatures, the Heartless, that were gushing from the crack but the warriors repelling them. Leon was hacking them to pieces, and as he did so, they burst into clouds of black and vanished. And he then saw Sora, the boy he had run into not long ago. He was simply incredible. His movements were powerful, circular, well-trained; this was apparently something he'd been doing for quite some time, and it was evident in his anticipatory fighting style.

While Kydran was watching, dazed, Yuffie joined the fray. She had picked up her large shuriken from under the counter before leaving, and now used it as a cross between a boomerang and a sword. At times she would hack at the seemingly endless flow of Heartless, and at others she would distance herself and hurl it with dead-on accuracy. Kydran's engrossment in the affairs of the warriors had left him vulnerable, and the Heartless seized upon this.

From his peripherals, the black-haired adolescent somehow managed to catch movement as one of the Shadows, from within the shadows, leapt at him, claws spread, prepared to rend him apart and extract his Heart. He turned, recognized the danger, and panicked. His eyes went wide. His mind raced-

_(hello there child I am your weapon now and soon you'll be mine)_

and from nowhere, from some well of power that he had forgotten he possessed (along with so many other memories), something clicked. His arms were thrown forward, his legs fell into place, he braced, and in his hands formed a weapon, so familiar to him-

_(like riding a bike)_

...that he couldn't help but feel it was as natural to do as breathing was.

Lightning arced from the rod of energy that manifested in his grip. His fingers wrapped about something intangible, some kind of dark power. Red energy burst in a full circle about his left hand, solidifying into a hilt. Finally, the details came into view.

In Kydran's hand lay a replica of Riku's Heart Key. Long, ebon steel stretched outward, the wicked teeth of the keyblade outlining the shape up a heart in vicious curves. The hilt of his weapon was bright crimson, and the edges of the hilt curved upward into threatening hooks as well. A keychain dangled from the pommel of the weapon. The Shadow bounced harmlessly off of the boy's effortless block.

The Shadow fell back. Kydran lunged forward. With a snap of his wrist, the monster burst into a cloud of Darkness. At this sudden retaliation, the onslaught seemed to pause. The Heartless looked up, if they were not engaged in combat, and wiggled their jagged antennae at him. Then, as though their priorities had changed instantly, they all charged in his direction.

Kydran was unsure. He felt strangely confident that these monsters would not take his heart-

_(oh god they took my family help me help)_

...but was taken aback by the sudden attention he was receiving. He sank back, tried to find that 'click' again, and welcomed the onslaught of the Heartless.

Fortunately, by this time, both Leon and Yuffie had managed to shove a large block of rubble from the wall in front of the crack, staunching the tide of Shadows. Sora was still busy un-burying himself from under the sheer number of them; his movements were so fast, so conspicuously _destructive_, that Kydran did not worry in the least bit about the Keybearer's safety.

It was own he was concerned about.

His assailant Heartless platoon consisted of about eight or nine Shadows; Kydran would find himself counting not the oncoming number, but each snap and thrust and swing that destroyed one of them. He opened up by dispatching an airborne Heartless with an overhand swing; that one burst into a cloud of Darkness and was no more. The weapon was brought horizontally across another. He swung again and again. Leon watched from his place on the boulder, though he was busy fending off Shadows of his own.

It took all of five seconds for Kydran to finish off his attackers. Sora had unburied himself from beneath the Shadows much faster than expected, and had been able to catch the destruction of the last three of Kydran's assailants. But it wasn't the boy's movements that made his jaw hang open; it was the weapon he wielded.

Sora had seen it once before. More than once, counting the nightmares that had plagued his dreams as of late. The Heart Key. Riku, then possessed by Ansem, had wielded it. He had even used it upon himself-

_(I don't want it anymore just take it)_

...at one point to free Kairi's heart; he lost track of where he was. The fight with the Heartless, the cleanup, was finished, but now Sora had another problem on his plate:

There was a strange boy wielding a keyblade that was supposed to have been destroyed a long time ago.

Upon closer observation, however, Sora would become aware that this keyblade sported an inconspicuous difference: _it had a keychain. _It was identical to the pendant around Kydran's neck, which was dangling loosely over his shirt. A silver heart, with a lock emblazoned upon it, gold vines extending from the base of the bauble to trace along the heart-shape.

Kydran lowered the weapon, his head whipping from place to place as he searched for any more incoming threats. Finding none, he pulled in a breath, and then heaved it out. He spotted Sora and Leon in the distance, and gave them a baffled expression.

"...what? Is there something on my face?" he called to them

"...you... what... where... where did you get that!" exclaimed Sora, not releasing his hold on the Kingdom Key, and he approached the other, black-haired young man.

"I... what? Get what?" Kydran appeared positively lost.

"That keyblade! In your hand, look!"

Kydran lifted his left hand, and looked at the Heart Key, and froze. There was a weapon in his hand. Sora watched Kydran's face, frowning. The ebon-haired boy's eyes seemed to glaze over, drift, and stop focusing. Sora reached over, waved a hand in front of his eyes, and suddenly Kydran was shaking his head wildly, like one would shake off water. He then looked to Sora.

"Huh? Oh, this. I don't know. I..." his words drifted off, and he was lost in thought again. Sora addressed him once more, to get his attention back to reality.

"Hey, look, don't worry about it. But honestly... I'm not happy to see that keyblade," he said, and Kydran couldn't do much but look the brown-haired kid in the eyes.

"Is that what it is? A keyblade?" asked Kydran.

"Yeah. So's this," Sora replied, and proudly lifted up the Kingdom Key, in all its glory. Bright golden handle, silvery blade extending from the hilt, teeth outlining the shape of a crown, keychain with the shape of the King's head dangling from it. Kydran raised an eyebrow, and then looked to Sora.

"What do they do?" asked Kydran.

"Nobody's sure, just yet," came Leon's voice as he approached. He was still eyeing Kydran warily. "There's a lot of different kinds of keyblades... yours is one of them."

"Oh," said Kydran loftily. Something was wrong, but Sora could not tell what- nor did he want to touch the strange young man, even if it would be to give him some reassurance.

"Sora is the Keyblade Master. The keyblade you're holding is one that a friend of Sora's wielded while possessed by an insane king," Leon continued. "So, you don't know where you got it. Sora, this may be a blessing in disguise. Another keyblade wielder. Perhaps this wasn't by accident."

Sora's mouth had closed, but he was now watching the other young man closer than ever. He also paid closer attention to the weapon that was as curious to him as it was to Kydran. He heard Leon's words, and finally managed to pull his eyes away from the black-edged keyblade.

"You mean that you want him to go with me? No way! Not a chance! Not as long as he has that keyblade! I don't even know the guy!" exclaimed Sora, backing away from both Leon and Kydran. The emerald-eyed adolescent was still observing his keyblade. Before he had lowered hand, the weapon had disappeared into a cloud of blacklight motes. Kydran looked at his empty hand, and then to Sora.

"Hey, cool it!" He addressed the boy in the red suit, and shrugged. It seemed he had finally gotten control of himself- or maybe it was that the keyblade was out of his hands. "I didn't ask to go. I didn't ask for that keyblade, either. It just happened. I don't even know what you guys are talking about."

By this time, Yuffie's curiosity had overcome her, and she approached, speaking brightly. "Sora needs a partner to go with him to save the worlds again; we can't let him go alone, it's too dangerous." At this, Leon placed his hand on his face, and shook his head. "...Yuffie..."

"...what? That's how it is, Squall," she returned.

"Leon. Really, you should have it straight by now," the gunblader returned, giving Yuffie 'the look'. She was quiet.

Sora still looked nervous. Seeing Kydran's keyblade. The strange result of so much as bumping into him. The thought of having to fly with the guy gave him the creeps; he was shaking his head furiously, and turned, and ran, Kingdom Key in hand.

Kydran watched him go, feeling his heart sink for no apparent reason. "I don't understand. Why is he so... scared?"

"That weapon you held unlocks hearts. A man named Ansem wielded it for a short time before it was destroyed... or disappeared. Whatever. Sora even used it on himself. He turned into a Heartless, after that," Leon informed Kydran, who listened intently. "Somehow, he was brought back from the Darkness. It's supposedly impossible, but... Sora has a knack for redefining the impossible."

Kydran heaved a sigh, and looked to Leon and Yuffie. "Then, what do I do? I don't want to go after him. I don't even know if I'm up for this whole adventure thing."

"I think you're involved, one way or the other. And you seemed to handle yourself well enough back there," commented Yuffie.

"Thanks," replied Kydran. He appreciated the compliment, but his thoughts were focused on trying to explain to himself why he was able to do what he did. Maybe he was some sort of warrior before he lost his memory.

"We'll get you prepared. Our friend Cid's making a gummi ship for the both of you as we speak. You know what a gummi ship is, right?" asked Leon.

"No, I don't," replied Kydran.

"It's a ship that we use to travel between worlds. It's made of the same stuff that keeps the worlds apart," Yuffie said, though it was obvious that she had lost Kydran on the second statement. She ignored this, and Leon continued to speak.

"Your world was destroyed, no doubt. Consumed by Darkness. It's happening to all the worlds, at a rate faster than we can possibly save them. Sora's job has been to go around and seal all the keyholes, which lead to the hearts of worlds-"

"-and hearts are what the Heartless are after. They slip through a world's keyhole, infest its heart, and it's all over for that world," Yuffie finished, nodding. Kydran was focusing on imprinting their words in his mind; he knew the information would come in handy.

"Alright, I guess. I'll go with you guys. But I suppose we need to find Sosa-"

"Sora," corrected Yuffie.

"Right, we'll find Soma-"

"Sora," corrected Yuffie again.

"Sorry. We'll find Sofa-"

"**Sora**," corrected Yuffie a third time, frustrated.

"Okay. Sora. His name's Sora. We need to find him."

"You're right. I'll get Aerith to do that. She's good at that kind of thing. As for you, Kydran, I'll show you a thing or two about fighting, so we know the both of you will be safe, and then you're on your own," stated Leon, and Kydran nodded. Besides, the ebon-mopped adolescent had nothing better to do. Maybe he'd find his missing memories, and find out what that keyblade was all about.

"Alright, then, let's hop to it!" cheered Yuffie, bounding off to find their flower girl comrade. Leon and Kydran made their way to a dueling hall. Kydran wondered if he would be able to call his keyblade back.

He almost wished it wasn't his.

* * *

Sora sat on top of the new Clock Tower that had been constructed in the Second District to replace the one in the Third District the Heartless had overrun. The Kingdom Key lay by his side, the blade reflecting what little light was left in the night sky. His twin azure oculars looked out on the entirety of Traverse Town. He sighed quietly, recalling. 

_"Is that...?"_

_"Yes. A keyblade. But unlike yours, this one has the power to unlock hearts."_

He envisioned Riku in that form-fitting black suit, sealed with the Heartless crest, which seemed to Sora like some sort of muscular body suit. The malicious glint that had been in Riku's eyes... but had that glint been Ansem's, or had it been Riku's?

_Riku..._

_"No! You're not using me for this!"_

_"Take care of her."_

Sora shook his head, and looked straight down off the Clock Tower roof. He had abandoned Riku in Kingdom Hearts, and King Mickey as well. He had closed and locked the door, with their help. He had left Kairi on the Destiny Islands. Had the Darkness devoured the Islands, as well? Was Kairi still safe?

'_I didn't do a very good job taking care of her_,' mused Sora, and he remembered the last words he and his love had exchanged.

_"I'll come back for you!"_

_"I know you will!"_

He picked up a rock that had somehow made its way onto the roof, and threw it absentmindedly. He had to get out there, he had to fix things, make sure they were okay. Protect the worlds. '_Make sure Riku's sacrifice wasn't in vain,_' thought he. '_Then... I'll go. Even if it's with Kydran. I'll go. And I'll keep my promises..._'

Sora sensed another presence. His hand shot to the Keyblade, and he drew it from its resting-place, thrusting it outward- and had, fortunately, halted himself from successfully skewering Aerith upon the end of the Kingdom Key. She appeared shocked. Sora put the weapon down. Aerith calmed, and then moved to sit down beside the boy.

"Do you want to be alone right now?" she queried, looking out at the Town. It was like watching a sea of stars, warm glowing lights far more plentiful than those in the heavens.

"Sort of," replied Sora glumly, staring down to the cobblestone pavement before. It was a while before he spoke again. "You know, I didn't ask to be the Keyblade Master. I don't know if I want the job anymore."

"But you already know it's not your choice. Sure, you could put it down and try to live a normal life, but you would always worry, wouldn't you?"

"Worry about what?"

"About your loved ones. About the Darkness that still exists."

Sora was silent. The both of them were. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the boy spoke up, nodding.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I _was_ born to be the Keyblade Master."

"Seems like it, doesn't it? So, what are you going to do?"

"I have to leave here. I have to find out what's going on."

"But you can't go alone. And I'm sure you realize that running into Kydran simply cannot be mere coincidence."

Sora nodded slowly.

"I know you're afraid."

"I'm not afraid!"

"It's alright, Sora. I know you're afraid, because I can tell that you're worried. You're afraid of losing your friends. You're afraid you might fail. You're scared of the keyblade Kydran has."

Sora glared up at the sky, and kicked his legs out in frustration. Aerith was always right, it seemed. "Yeah. So?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go with him, of course. We're going to leave Traverse Town, find Donald and Goofy, I'm gonna leave Kydran somewhere and take care of business," replied Sora firmly. Aerith nodded in response, and picked herself up, careful not to slip over the edge. It was a long drop.

"Alright. Let's go find the others."

* * *

Kydran felt better. Potions had a habit of making a person feel better, and after the sound beating he had received, he certainly appreciated being handed the sweet-tasting drink. Leon himself had needed one after the series of bouts in which Kydran had put Leon's combat theory and advice into practice, though he had waited until Kydran wasn't looking to down one. 

"Not bad. I think you can safely handle yourself- and what you can't handle, Sora can," stated Leon as the two made their way down the steps of the dueling hall. The hall itself had been built to accommodate fighters training for the grand events in the Olympus Coliseum, which had become something of a hot spot in recent times. Kydran had heard speak of it, and the thought of competition excited him. Registering Leon's words, he felt miffed; he wasn't entirely sure what the Griever was insinuating.

"Yeah. We'll be fine. So what now?" asked the young man, looking over to Leon.

"We find Aerith and Sora, and then you two mosey."

"...mosey?"

Leon was silent.

The silence was quickly broken, however, by a panicked, breathless Yuffie. Kydran's eyes widened at the sight of her; she had apparently been running nonstop for a long way.

"Yuffie? What's going on?" Leon asked, and it was obvious he knew something was wrong. His voice gave that away.

"Heartless, Leon! The Heartless! They've broken down the walls and they're flooding the city!"


	3. Nemesis

**

* * *

Chapter 3 -**** Nemesis

* * *

**

(_So you _do_ know what this is._)

_The monster, yes. I've seen it before._

(_What name did you give it?_)

_It is... my Nemesis.

* * *

_

The cry took a moment to register in their minds. Both Kydran and Leon stood for a moment, looking at her. The Lion was a little taken aback because he wasn't sure whether Yuffie was kidding or not. Kydran was slack-jawed because he had been mulling over his plans for the trip when she had interrupted his machinations.

"Move it, guys! Let's **go**!" she shouted, about-facing and darting off down the street toward the Third District. Her shout was enough to spur both Leon and Kydran into action. Kydran had spent approximately one half-hour fighting to call the keyblade to his hands, but could not, and so a frustrated Leon had given him a wooden sword from one of the racks. He wished he had either the keyblade or a wooden sword or anything that could make him a little more useful than a bystander. Or a victim.

"What do you mean by 'they've broken down the walls'?" inquired Leon as he drew his gunblade from the twin leather belts about his waist.

"What... (huff) do you... (huff) think... (huff) I mean...?" breathed Yuffie, who had been running for quite some time. "The walls fell! (huff) Like they were pushed over by some huge shockwave!"

They had not even neared the Third District before they found themselves lost amidst the anarchy that the Heartless excelled at leaving in their wake. People were screaming, afraid not only for their lives but also at merely at being reminded of the monsters that had plagued the worlds they once inhabited. Some wielded weapons against the Heartless, but most were quickly buried beneath the sheer number of them.

As Kydran reached the horde of Heartless, pouring in from the direction of the Third District, he felt a sort of _pull_ within himself, the way a planet must feel when it feels the sun's _pull_. His hand shot to the silver pendant about his neck, and he drew in a sharp breath. All the warmth left his body.

(_Nemesis_)

He felt a sudden weight in his left hand, and looked down. There it was. The crimson-hilted keyblade. He looked from it back to the mob of Shadows and Darkballs and Invisibles and, amazingly, two Darksides headed directly for them.

"Kydran!"

The boy felt a sharp blow to the back of his head; Leon's gloved hand had made a solid connection. Kydran was broken from his daze. He braced himself. The sheer numbers of the Heartless were overwhelming. He wasn't sure how they were going to survive.

* * *

"Tell me that's not the sound I think it is," gasped Aerith, halting, blatantly fearful. 

"It sounded like a wall crashing dow- the Third District! No!" was Sora's panicked reply.

Both Aerith and Sora hastily made their way across rooftops, Aerith fighting to keep up with the young man's quickening pace. They arrived at the edge of the Third District in time to see the last of the walls falling. Now, the Third District and the monstrosities within were wide open to all of Traverse Town- and seized upon this opportunity, they did.

Aerith was unsurprised at how quickly Sora joined the fray. He made a dive off of the building, intending to land in the center of a mass of Shadows. As he fell, the Keyblade Master uttered words of power and wind rose about him in a spherical fashion, creating a defensive shield. Aeroga. Landing atop a Heartless, which burst into a cloud of dark power, Sora began to cleave into the Shadows mercilessly, while Aerith rained down offensive spells from her place on the rooftop.

Not far off, Leon perked as he heard the sound of Firagas and Blizzagas being slung in spades, and recognized the voice.

"Kydran, Yuffie! Aerith must have found Sora! Let's get to them!" Leon cried, and Kydran had managed to register it even as he swung the black keyblade around to fend off the countless little creatures that tried with all their might to rend, claw, tear, and destroy.

The 'Great Ninja' leapt into action immediately, bouncing up and rebounding off the heads of more than one Shadow, running atop the chaos while managing to hack her way through the aerial Heartless with her huge shuriken. Kydran followed her example and, with a dexterity that was simply astounding (keeping up with Yuffie? Unheard of, even for Sora!), he bounced along the heads of the Heartless.

Leon, left behind, growled in irritation at the Heartless. He lashed out at one, destroying it, and felt a familiar power well up within him. He channeled this energy through his arms, and his body crackled with blue electricity. The length of the Revolver doubled, as did the breadth of the blade; it was now engulfed with shining azure energy. Lionheart.

The Griever then proceeded to swing the enchanted weapon in huge arcs, decimating and swathing a path through the Shadows. His blade swept upward, and a Darkball was cleaved in two. He would gain momentum. Soon, he was keeping up with Yuffie and Kydran.

Sora felt strange, suddenly, when his bright blue eyes finally fell upon Kydran's approaching form. Though he had been unnerved not long ago, he felt oddly comforted. If felt like seeing an old comrade-in-arms; the same way he felt as he watched Leon close the distance, and Yuffie approaching agilely, each out of the corners of his eyes.

"What took you all so long?" called Sora cheerily, though the situation was anything but cheery.

"Sora! We have to find somewhere else to go, we have to get to the gummi docks!" Leon shouted, realizing that the number of Heartless overcoming the city was far too great to be stopped; Sora would have to get off of Traverse Town immediately.

"Duck!" cried Yuffie, suddenly plowing into Kydran. He fell back, surprised, and realized on his way to the ground that he was nearly decapitated by an Invisible's blade. Sora threw himself the Invisible and tore it apart. Then, after helping Kydran to his feet, they ran toward the First District.

* * *

The dark form moved to the edge of the platform in front of the bell-rope, looking down upon the sea of black, upon the millions of glowing yellow eyes filling the Second District. Its arms folded behind its back, and it straightened itself. The figure, clad in a hooded raincoat of black leather, watched the chaos. 

He was pleased.

Behind the figure, there was the sound of a soft humming as a portal was opened. The humming grew louder; it grew loud enough to hurt the ears, and was followed by the sound of electricity crackling. Another raincoated man stepped out of the portal, moving up beside the first as the portal shut itself.

"It's coming," spoke the newcomer, his voice high and not without a little malice. The only thing visible of his body, the lower part of his face, revealed sharp features and paled skin. "I can feel it. This will be quite a show."

"Of course. It's found the boy; it always does. It was only a matter of time."

"How long can we keep this going?"

"As long at it takes for all worlds to be destroyed. Then, when the Keybearer has no choice left, he will find the path. It will be set right again," returned the first of the two, looking up at the sky. It would not be long.

"Do we have to power to stop him, if something goes wrong?"

"That is not your concern, Knives. Things have already gone wrong; you know this. Cease asking me your pointless questions, and think for yourself. Unless, of course, you would like to be augmented as well?"

"No. Thank you."

"Go to the boy and his brother, ensure that nothing happens to them. If you fail me... I will make you wish you had never taken your first breath."

"Understood."

Knowing the conversation was over, and knowing even more clearly that there shouldn't have been a conversation to begin with, Knives turned and walked away, disappearing into the wall of the clock tower.

The first continued to watch, as a legendary strategist would watch a battle unfold.

He was pleased.

* * *

"What the hell is going on? I thought you said they couldn't leave the Third District!" cried Kydran, looking over his shoulder at the anarchy. Buildings were already catching on fire; people continued to be reaped by the Darkness. "I don't understand!" 

"You know as much as we do!" replied Leon, and they reached the World Exit, the path to the gummi docks.

Yuffie cried out in terror.

The huge, twin gates burst open, and nearly crushing the group on the ground. Kydran dove out of the way, rolled upright, and raised his keyblade for retaliation, but as the aggressor came into view, he felt his wish to retaliate diminishing.

An immense foot stomped down, nearly crushing Kydran in the process. The immense, violet-colored monster towered over them all, energy spiking from a large horn protruding from between beady black eyes. Kydran felt his hair standing on end; electricity would ensue.

"A Behemoth!" called Sora as he propelled himself upward, leaping upon the gargantuan Heartless's shoulder. He struggled his way to the horn and proceeded to hack away; the others were left to continue charging through the gate.

Leon groaned in despair at the sight of what lay beyond the fallen gates. Heartless had already overrun the docks; there were no gummi ships to be found. Escape would be impossible.

"No! This can't be happening!" exclaimed Leon, losing his composure. Yuffie grasped his upper arm and dragged him back through the gates, where Sora was still engaged with the Behemoth- though with the aid of Aerith now. The flower girl was still barraging Heartless with a multitude of spells, keeping them at bay.

The gargantuan Heartless reared and swung its head violently. Sora was sent flying into a crowd of Heartless, and having being spared by his Aeroga, lifted himself to his feet and continued to hack apart the Shadows swarming around him.

The Behemoth still remained, though its horn was nigh to breaking; Yuffie took it upon herself to finish the task. Her focus was on the shuriken as she released her grip on Leon and barreled in between the tree-trunks it had for feet, narrowly avoiding being smashed as it rampaged further away from the gate. She dove forward, executing a perfect dodge-roll. As she came out ahead of the Behemoth, she leapt upward, turning in mid-flight. The weapon she held glowed intensely; she hurled the weapon in mid-jump. The attack struck true. The horn shattered. The beast reared once more, and then was gone, burst into a cloud of Darkness.

Kydran was following the four fighters as they advanced further into the First District, but his thoughts were not. His mind was racing; what would they do now? How were they going to survive? They couldn't last forever. Where would they sleep? Not where he slept last time... the Inn.

Pandora.

His stomach turned.

He checked the weapon that rested now in his left hand, and then the others. Leon was in the lead; he had to have some sort of plan, the one that he was now revealing.

"Look, the Heartless originated from the Third District, right? That means that maybe if we take the fight there we can close off their entrance!" he yelled, loud enough for them to hear even over the din. The others found this course of action doubtful, but it was better than standing around and looking helpless.

Kydran skidded to a halt and yelled in response, "No! I have to help Pandora, she's in danger!"

As the boy split off, toward the Inn, Aerith cried the boy's name, which was lost on Kydran by that time. Sora felt compelled to go after him, but Leon turned and shoved him back in the direction they were moving.

"I'll catch up!" were Leon's words as he veered off behind Kydran, his weapon still shining and buzzing as it cleaved through the Heartless in his way. Sora watched for a moment as he went, looked back to the others, and led them toward the Third District.

* * *

Kydran's legs pumped as quickly as he could force them to go. As he slammed his Heart Key into the Heartless, charging toward the inn, he asked himself why. Why he felt compelled to save her. It didn't make any sense; she couldn't mean this much to him, he only just met her. 

Performing a baseball slide beneath an Invisible's blade and cutting its legs out from under it, he popped himself onto his feet with his free hand in time to avoid the Invisible's counter-slash to his head. Ignoring it for the time being, he barrelled toward the inn, hearing the hum of Leon's Lionheart cleaving the Invisible in two. Kydran looked over his shoulder, unsurprised to find Leon following him.

"What the hell are you doing!" shouted Leon, clearly angered.

"I didn't ask you to follow me!"

"Ungrateful little twerp," muttered Leon, slicing through a Darkball.

The inn was close by. Kydran felt bad that he couldn't save all the people he was seeing being cornered and taken by the Heartless. He did what he could, but he knew his primary goal was to save Pandora if she was, indeed, still in this world.

Charging into the inn, Kydran was immediately met by a group of mixed Powerwilds and Search Ghosts. Swatting aside one Powerwild, grabbing another with his free hand, and narrowly avoiding a slash from a Powerwild, he searched wildly for Pandora, praying she was still safe.

A Search Ghost launched its disembodied hands at Kydran, to which he responded by using his grabbed Powerwild as a body shield. Then, having chucked said Powerwild at the Search Ghost, he dove over a charging monkey-Heartless, rolling to his feet and pivoting to face the stairs, springing up each step. Leon entered the inn at about that moment, swinging like a madman.

The hall on the second floor, leading to each room, was not made for close-quarters combat. Kydran found it very difficult to keep the Heartless at bay with such a small amount of fighting room. Still, he had felt something within himself, something that told him he was closer to Pandora, that she was still okay. He could also sense her fear.

As Kydran made it past the third room, about halfway down the hall, he heard the door crack and burst open. A Neo-Heartless landed in the hallway, locking its haunting yellow eyes on Kydran. The boy turned to see what he was up against, and was shocked to find it was already coming at him, claws raised. Narrowly deflecting the swing, he was unprepared for the next swing, which he had nearly avoided; the monsters claws raked across his abdomen. He stumbled back, wincing in pain.

H was surprised to suddenly see the glowing blue tip of the Lionheart pierce through the monster's body. It was not dead, not by a longshot, but Leon had bought enough time for Kydran to get to his feet and enter the room at the end of the hall.

With the sound of Leon's combat with the Neo Heartless ringing in his ears, Kydran threw the door open to find Pandora huddled in the back corner of the room. She was clearly startled by his entrance, and seemed confused as to whether or not he was a Heartless.

"Pandora! Give me your hand, we're getting out of here!" cried Kydran, extending his gloved right hand. She didn't move.

"Come on!" he cried once more, and she got to her feet, shaking off the daze. Grabbing a hold of her hand, he practically dragged her from the room. Entering the hall, he saw that Leon hadn't had a problem with the walls, being that he had simply cut through them to get to his foe.

The Griever stood at the top of the stairs, keeping the Heartless at bay. As Kydran flew down the hall, more of the monsters generated behind him.

"Leon, let's go! I've got her!"

Pandora, too bewildered to do anything, said nothing, but kept her grip on Kydran's hand as tight as she could. Kydran wasn't paying attention to the pain she was causing to his hand, but rather occupied himself with fending off the endless tide of Heartless.

Leon took the lead as the three of them ran to find and meet the others. He knew they would be alright; they had Sora with them.

Leon glanced over his shoulder and shouted, arm sweeping to mow over a line of Heartless.

"The Third District! We're not long off, hurry!"

Kydran saw it ahead, saw that the gates were wide open and that Sora, Yuffie, and Aerith fighting a losing battle.

Sora and Aerith and Yuffie were surrounded, trying to force their way through the horde to get to the Gizmo Shop, which seemed to be where they were all coming from. But as they neared, and found themselves irrevocably trapped in the Third District by the swarms of Shadows and Darkballs that now enveloped them, they learned that was not the source of the Heartless.

They were falling from the sky.

Leon's gaze shot upward; why hadn't he seen it coming before? The clouds rolling in, the fact that the stars weren't visible. It was probably due to the fact that the stars were blinking out, there were so few left. As his steel-gray eyes traveled upward, he felt his body turn cold.

There was a _rip_ in the sky.

It was as if the sky was made of fabric and somebody had torn it wide open. It was from this rip, the split seam, that the waves and waves of Heartless were now spilling from.

The mass of Shadows suddenly slid away. Sora was most surprised by this, though all those who had been engaged in combat with the Heartless now found themselves looking around, warily, as if danger loomed overhead.

Kydran's twin green oculars slid from the rip in the sky to the open court before the run-down Gizmo Shop. A figure stood there, though the ebon-haired boy was unsure if it was even real. The image of the masculine figure flickered. He stood in a black raincoat; the sleeves belled out, a hood was pulled over his head. He turned. They could not see his face, but Sora would feel, then, strangely _pulled_ toward this Unknown.

Sora began to move forward. A locked-away memory stirred. He _knew_ that figure from somewhere.

The enigmatic man raised his arms high, as if accepting, welcoming them, and was gone. Each of the six survivors would feel a ripple of power emanate from the rip in the sky. The Heartless stopped falling. Every gaze turned upward.

Something was emerging.

It was like watching some sort of thick, viscous substance fall through a hole in the ceiling; it was almost _squeezed_ out, this titanic black form. It filled the entire rift with its bulk, and soon it fell, some gargantuan meteor. It was headed directly for them.

Aerith was the first to come to her senses, though the others were mesmerized by this turn of events. She blinked, looked at the others, and cried a "**Get out of the way!**" at the top of her lungs. This brought all but Kydran to their senses, and they moved hastily, giving as much room as they could spare for this colossal comet to land.

Kydran still looked upward, hypnotized.

Pandora lunged out to grab him by his arm, shake him, get him to wake up. He moved absentmindedly, still looking upward.

(_Here we are again. No surprise._)

_What are you saying?_

(_Don't you see? Nothing ever happens by accident._)

_Is this...?_

(_Yes. It's yours._)

Kydran blinked, momentarily gaining control of himself. He was thrown backward, jolted, lost track of who and where he was. Was sent flying through the air. Was dazed again.

(_It could be worse._)

_Who are you?_

(_He could be awake._)

_I... don't understand!_

(_Because you know nothing._)

**_Who are you?_**

(_You'll remember._)

When his eyes opened, Kydran was in agony. He tried to pick himself up from the ground, but felt a splitting pain in his right arm. He looked, surveying himself. His right arm had to be broken; it was hanging at an unnatural angle. Beyond him lay his keyblade. He groaned, and tried to sit up, but when he saw what had happened and what lay before him, his blood froze in his veins.

The 'meteor' had struck; it hadn't taken long for it to do so. The rip was bigger than he remembered it, and much of the shrapnel upturned by the massive form's entrance was being sucked upward into the rift. Sora was already at his feet, as were Leon and the three girls. Apparently, Kydran was a slow waker.

He forced himself to his feet, grimacing. Terror was still fresh in his system. All of them were looking up at the beast that had fallen from the sky.

_Nemesis._

It rose about five stories tall, hunched over. Tentacles, an innumerable mass of black, inky tendrils whipped at the sky and the ground in every direction, from every which way. These tentacles came to a point at the monstrosity's midsection, where they seemed to solidify into some sort of spinal cord. The tentacles reached upward even further than this, solidifying into a crystalline ribcage and, atop it all, a crystalline, black skull wrapped in tentacles which glared, eyelessly, down at all of them. More tentacles extended outward for its arms, which crystallized and formed a pair of skeletal forms. Its fingers were made up of the tentacles as well. Its hollow eye-sockets loomed over them all, and not one of them could move, the terror was so great.

Sora finally broke the deadly silence.

"RUN!"

They all began to turn, to flee, to try to escape, but the countless tentacles gave chase. The monster, if it could see, was watching Kydran most of all, however. The boy again felt that tug, the _pull_, but forced himself to resist. He babied his broken right arm, but lacked the ability to defend himself as one of the tentacles wrapped itself about his waist and proceeded to drag him into the mass that the monster used as legs. Kydran cried out in pain as he was lifted into the air.

A bright, azure flash passed before Kydran's eyes. He felt himself falling. He hit the ground. He screamed in agony. The roar of a gummi ship sounded in his ears.

"Rescue!" cried Leon triumphantly, as he fended off the tentacles assailing him, the energy engulfing the Revolver yet unwaning. Sora himself was a flurry of blade strokes and defensive maneuvers, and he had managed to work his way toward Kydran, Pandora in tow.

The two stooped down to help him up, and cry of pain from Kydran drew their attention to his broken arm. The gummi ship, still firing on the colossal Heartless, sailed in, hovering just over the wreckage. Leon guided Aerith and Yuffie, neither of whom wasted any time, to and onto the rescue ship. Sora was swatting away tentacles while Kydran and Pandora struggled to the ship. They managed, finally, to board the ship, Sora last of all, the furious glow in his eyes still not fading until the door to the ship was closed.

Kydran was let go, and he sunk to the floor, lying down onto the floor of the ship. He felt the vehicle moving, and heard the roar of its engines as it rocketed away from Traverse Town. Sora got up and rushed to the cockpit, to look out at Traverse Town.

He witnessed its last moments before the rip swallowed it whole, clouds of shrapnel and rubble still flying in orbit around it. And then Traverse Town was gone entirely. He felt his heart sink. Traverse Town was gone, and everybody who had been on it.

Leon moved beside the boy and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. His voice was soft and understanding, for once.

"I understand now... the worlds weren't blinking out. They were being swallowed, by that... thing."

Sora looked up at him, feeling no less mournful.

"It happened so quickly," uttered Sora, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It always does," was the Griever's reply.

Cloud, the blonde, spiky-haired wielder of the Buster Sword swiveled in and got up from the pilot's seat to meet Leon and Sora.

"Glad to see you made it," spoke Cloud, his face still emotionless.

"Cloud. Good to see you. The docks were destroyed, how'd you get this ship?"

"I was there, watching, when the boy Kydran summoned that... Heart Key. The Heartless went insane after you left. I saw the walls fall and knew you'd need a way out."

"It's a good thing you did. Where are we headed?"

"I don't know."

"Let's try for Olympus Coliseum... a lot of people from Traverse Town go there. We should tell them they don't have a home to go back to. Again," input Sora glumly, and the other two men only nodded in agreement.

Aerith was tending to Kydran's wounds, in the meantime. Pandora was kneeling, sitting over the ebon-haired adolescent, muted violet eyes awed.

"You came back for me," said Pandora softly.

Kydran coughed, and chuckled. "Yeah. I did. Good thing, too."

"Why do you say that?" asked Aerith, though she knew the value of a life.

"...because the thought of being stuck all alone in the middle of space with that dippy brown-haired kid just doesn't appeal to me."


	4. Olympus

Note: There is a brief overview of the first round of battles in the midway of this chapter. Each fight, and all the subsequent fights, will be included later in a set of chapter-ettes called Lost Fragments, which will be posted once I dig them out of the void what is my hard drive.

* * *

**Chapter 4** - **Olympus

* * *

**

_This is... incredible..._

_(This is the world in its true form.)_

_So then... it's all just an illusion._

_(There are only the memories.)

* * *

_

Kydran moved up beside the cabin door. The gummi ship Cloud had retrieved was not of a large type, but it was big enough to house three rooms. Pandora had gotten her own, because the others had recognized her need for privacy. The sight of Traverse Town being swallowed whole by the Darkness was painful to all of them, but it seemed to agonize Pandora the most.

Still, the wielder of the Heart Key could not help himself. He found his thoughts, empty though they had been, straying to the image of her face, her smooth violet eyes that seemed welcoming to him despite the girl's sassy nature. He raised a hand to the door, preparing to knock, and had second thoughts.

_'Reifa was taken by the Heartless. That must really be doing a number on her heart. Maybe Aerith was right. I should just leave her alone.'_

But he couldn't.

He rapped softly on the door with his left hand (his right was not yet fully healed), and listened intently. A stifled sob reached his ears.

"Go away!" was the shaky response from the girl. Kydran frowned.

"It's me. Kydran," he responded quietly, and was rewarded with silence. "If you need somebody to talk to, I'm all ears."

Still more silence. He waited patiently, hoping for a response, and as he began to turn to find something else to do, the door cracked open.

The sight of her made Kydran's heart ache with empathy. She was disheveled, her hair messy, undealt with since the massacre. Her eyes were red with the tears she had cried, and she looked about ready to break again. The boy's voice was pained; it hurt just to see her in the condition she was in.

"I couldn't save her. When I heard the windows break, and the people screaming..."

Her voice wavered, and she took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.

"And even when that... thing came after, I couldn't do anything. They ran her down, they just tore her apart like... wolves..."

At this, Pandora was overcome by her grief. The door swung open, and she sunk to the floor, hands covering her face as she wept. Kydran caught her, braced at the sharp pain now traveling up his right arm, steadied her, embraced her. She wept.

"And... I was going to die, too, and then you... and Leon, you were there!"

Kydran felt dizzy, disoriented. Her words registered, but that was all he heard. Even his own thoughts were muffled. He felt his heart... _tingling. _His body felt cold; he knew he wasn't supposed to enjoy her pain, but having her there made him feel _glad_. A

_(That was the choice you made.)_

_But I didn't know that it would mean this..._

memory stirred within him, and it was brushed away immediately.

"I'm so glad you came, I could have died, and then that... monster, that enormous black abomination appeared and you almost died-"

"I what?"

"You almost died! That huge black thing almost crushed you. I thought you were dead."

His mind was still in overdrive; what he was now seeing of Pandora was so vastly different from the one he had known in Traverse Town. Confident, sassy, humorous. Now she was shell-shocked, panicked, and grieving. He wondered how long it would last.

"It's alright, now. We're safe. We're on our way to Olympus Coliseum."

She sniffled, took a shuddering breath, and seemed to achieve control. She looked up at him.

"Why?"

"Ask Sora, I don't know. Are you gonna be okay? I'm around if you need me."

Pandora nodded, and backed away. Her cheeks grew a little pink; she was clearly embarrassed at having received the attention the boy. She retreated into the room again, and closed the door. Kydran blinked. Gone as quickly as she'd come. Well. He'd just go find something to do.

Like finding Sora.

He did so. The boy was in the dining area (Kydran was amazed at the amenities that this gummi ship possessed), munching through a small sub sandwich, eyes distant. Aware of Kydran's presence, the Keyblade Master's eyes followed Kydran as he sat down, and the two were quiet for a long moment, barring the noise of Sora's chewing.

"So, it's you and me, huh?" queried Sora, putting the sandwich down about halfway through it.

"I suppose so."

"I'm not gonna lie, you make me really uncomfortable. You're dressed all in black, your hair's black, you have this creepy look in your eye and you have that keyblade. I'm not even sure if you're a good guy or not."

"Well... I don't know what to tell you. I can't prove to you that I'm on one side or the other. I don't even think I know what the sides are. You and I both know that there's a connection between us, somewhere, though. Something. Unless it was just me."

"No, it wasn't," said Sora, and this time, he was the thoughtful one. "But I've never met you before in my life."

"I haven't seen you before, either. But I think we should stick together."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, if my keyblade is an evil thing, then you can handle it if something goes wrong. For two... you need a traveling partner, right?"

Sora was quiet.

"You know, Kydran... I'm the Keyblade Master. It's my job to protect everybody from the Darkness, to keep them safe, to set things right. I couldn't protect anybody. I let them all down..."

"That's not true. You saved me, and you saved Pandora, and you did everything you could. There was no way we could have stood up to that monster. We have to find another way."

"How do you know?" Sora retorded, clearly upset. "There was something I missed, something I could have done, I know it!"

Sora got to his feet, shoving the chair back up to the table. Kydran watched him, trying to figure out what, if anything, he was supposed to say.

"We should be in Olympus Coliseum soon. We might even have time to play in the games- they're going to want something to ease their pain. A distraction, you know? I hope you register," stated Sora, who then left the kitchen with his plate on the table and Kydran with a mind full of tumultuous thoughts.

* * *

Aerith's regenerative magics had done their work by the time the ship made its arrival at the Coliseum. Kydran's arm was still a little sore, like a deep bruise, but it was otherwise fine. He was the third person out of the ship; Sora was in first, Leon a close second. Cloud gained ground behind them, but look now! Here comes Yuffie, taking the lead! Pandora remained in the ship, not yet having decided whether or not to come with them. 

"Wow. It's been a long time since we were here last, huh, Leon?" chirped Yuffie. Kydran was puzzled; she was able to keep on that happy-go-lucky demeanor even with the terrible news they all had to bring. The destruction of a world was no laughing matter, especially the destruction of Traverse Town, where would those displaced from their worlds go now?

Leon was silent. The gunblader was not in nearly as high of a spirit as Yuffie was; neither was Cloud, but Cloud didn't seem to care either way. Aerith's was very glum. Sora's thoughts were preoccupied with something, and he was clearly agitated. There was much more than just one subject for him to worry about.

They caravanned from the docks through the two immense gates, and then proceeded through the open court. The Coliseum had picked up a great deal of business than the last time that Sora had been there. People, mostly warriors, stood and conversed in the dusty courtyard that lay before the registration areas. Kydran eyed the huge banners that adorned the walls of this open area. He could make out the name 'Sora' on four of them, in the first-place slot. He shook his head.

Sora entered the registration area, and Kydran was surprised to find a stout little goat-man ambling toward the Keyblade Master. Eventually the entire party filed into the room, and stood in a solemn silence. Phil started to speak, immediately picking up on their demeanor.

"What's goin' on? You guys look like somebody killed ya dog!" prompted Phil.

"Traverse Town has been consumed by the Darkness," replied Leon, after a moment of Sora trying to speak but discovering he was incapable of doing so.

The little red satyr, the coach and trainer of legends, blanched.

"Traverse Town! No way! That can't be right!"

"I'm afraid it's very true. We need you to make a public announcement, to let everybody know that they probably don't have a home to return to anymore," Aerith said, in a respectful tone. Kydran had taken a liking to the woman's formal and quiet attitude.

"I guess I'll hafta. Just stay put, I'll take care of it," said Phil, and he disappeared through the entry area.

Sora turned around, and looked at the others. He looked positively helpless, his eyes pleading, as if they could somehow fix it. He saw himself as a sort of failure; he had completely failed to protect the people of Traverse Town. To protect Traverse Town himself- and even when faced with that monster, he told everybody to run, and ran with them. Wasn't a Keyblade Master supposed to protect the worlds from the Darkness, instead of running away like a frightened rabbit?

Kydran was the one who spoke, which was surprising, considering it was usually Aerith who bestowed the kind words, but what was even more surprising was what he said.

"No frowns. No sad faces. This boat runs on happy faces," he stated, grinning broadly. This time, it was everybody who gave him the double-take (save for Cloud). Kydran froze, and eyed them all. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"...where did you hear that?" queried Leon, suspiciously.

"I... I don't know. It just seemed like the right thing to say."

Oddly, the words had had a strong impact on the Keyblade Master. He took Kydran's speech into consideration, and then grinned as well.

"You're right, Kydran. It all comes out in the wash; we'll set everything straight! Just watch!" he spoke, having resolved something in his mind. Maybe there was a way. If he found the Door...

Their exchange had brightened the outlook of the entire party (save for Cloud), and Phil was surprised to see them all smiling (or giving a lopsided grin, in Leon's case).

"Whoa, this is the same crew, right?" chuckled Phil. The good mood was contagious. "Well, I gave 'em the bad news. A lot of the fighters didn't take it too well, and the guests in the coliseum aren't jumping up and down either, but I think I know what might get their minds off the subject."

Sora's cheesy grin grew even wider; he was beaming from ear-to-ear.

"A tournament?" asked Sora, nearly on the breaking point.

"A tournament."

"A tournament!" Sora whooped, hopping up and clicking his heels. Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Leon, and Kydran all backed away from him; that reaction was entirely unexpected. Well, not entirely.

"Wow. I bet it'll be big. There's a lot of fighters out there," observed Yuffie, already making her way to the door so she could fetch her weapon. "You know, we should all split up into teams! Me and Leon, Sora and Kydran, and Cloud and Aerith!"

"Sorry, kid. This ain't gonna be no teamed tournament. It'll be a 20-man single-elimination tournament, only the best."

"You guys gotta sign up!" begged Sora.

"No thanks, I'm not one for fighting," Aerith replied timidly, brushing her dress off and shaking her head. "But I like the thought of helping Cloud in battle."

Cloud was silent.

"Yeah! It'll be great, come on, Kydran!" exclaimed Sora. He smiled nervously.

"Uh, sure, Sora," was his quiet response. Hadn't the brown-haired kid just told him a couple hours ago that Kydran made him uncomfortable? Still Kydran could see the reason for Sora's excitement; all the tournaments he'd participated in, he'd won. Go figure.

Leon shrugged, and also made his way to the gummi ship.

"What about Pandora?" asked Kydran suddenly, as they moved out into the open court, where the word had apparently gotten around.

"What about me?" called the girl from across the way, and she smiled halfheartedly. She started down the steps, and appeared to be familiar with the territory. Her eyes were on the black-clad Heart Key wielder.

"They're having a tournament," announced Kydran, approaching her with a goofy grin. "To get our minds off of what happened. You don't know how to fight, do you?"

Pandora shook her head and smiled brightly, glancing from Kydran to Sora. "No, I'll be just find watching you guys. I'm cheering for you, Kydran."

She moved over to the black-haired boy, and Sora cast a nervous look to Kydran, who was entranced by the girl with her long obsidian locks.

Her clothing was much the same as it was when they had first met: tight-fitting black leggings which fit into the pair of black boots at her feet, with a light blue tank top draped over this. A white longcoat was fit over her body, buttoned at the waist, the tail of the coat draping over her left leg, the sleeves of this coat flaring out. Black vinework weaved its way along the edges of this coat in a dazzling pattern. Sora had to admit she had style.

She reached into a pocket of her coat and withdrew a small bauble dangling from a silver chain. It was a blue-shining crystal, set in a delicate silver vinework base. She handed it to the boy.

"Here, Kydran. Auntie Reifa and I both had these when we awoke in the alleyway in Traverse Town. I think I read somewhere that in the olden days, the brave knights would go into battle bearing their ladies' favor. I want you to have this, and keep it on you while you fight."

"I, uh..."

"Please?"

Kydran looked from the bauble, and then looked to the girl. His hand was shaking. Something deep within him told him there was so much more to this small act than met the eye, something that had roots that weent deeper than it appeared.

"Alright. I'll be your knight," he said, taking the bauble. She wrapped her arms around him, and he smiled, holding her. "I'll fight for you."

* * *

That all the best fighters would gather to fight in the Traverse Town Cup was no joke. Each warrior was indeed formidable, and the Tournament was the most intense and entertaining that any in the crowd had ever seen, and many of the battles were the most difficult that the participants had ever taken part in. 

Prior to the tournament, Sora had looked over the list of twenty combatants, noting who was in each round. The matchings were interesting.

The first match would be Kydran versus a girl named Mei. He had caught sight of Mei in the courtyard while they all awaited their matches in the tournament, and she didn't appear too formidable- a fragile, pretty young girl with a silver flute that looked like it belonged in an art museum. Kydran, not wanting to use his Heart Key for fear of the damage he could do, was using an Oriental crystal-sword that somebody had given him prior to his battle. He would be interested in seeing that fight.

The second match featured a Dementia Caster (which was something Sora had never heard of) called Reverend and a girl named Lilka. He had no idea what Reverend was capable of, and by the looks of his pale skin and outlandish magical focuses, he didn't want to know. As for the girl, she didn't say much, but the tournament board had her listed as a 'Crest Sorceress'.

Third match was a hulk of a man named Kull, facing off against a thin, lightning-fast young man calling himself Syne. Sora wasn't particularly interested in either, and followed the listings down.

The next match would be Leon versus Seifer. Sora hadn't gotten a glimpse of Seifer yet, but the way Leon looked when he had heard the name... Sora knew there was something between himself and this Seifer. He would have to be there to cheer for Leon.

The fifth match... Cloud versus Sephiroth. Sora was immediately interested; he had fought both Cloud and Sephiroth in the tournaments, and knew they were out for each other's blood. He had a feeling that Sephiroth would overpower Cloud quickly, unless there was something Cloud was hiding, keeping in reserve, which wouldn't surprise him. Cloud tended to keep to himself.

Next up was a black-robed figure, who was listed as Puppet against a swordsman by the name of Triel. Sora had heard Triel spoken of as legendary in many ways, but his fame was centered entirely around the arena. He was a pit fighter; the arena was his home. When Sora caught sight of the one named Puppet and his companion, who was listed as Knives, he was immediately alarmed. He had seen one of those black-robed men in Traverse Town. They had to know something about its destruction.

Seventh match pitted the robed one Knives against a gunslinger named Argus. Neither of the robed men sported any visible weapons, and Argus had only a pair of beat-up looking pistols. Somehow he knew that the two had something up their sleeves.

Following the seventh match would be a bout between an assassin by the the name of Vasily Zaitsev and a man named Link Valentine. It looked like it was going to be a straight-up fight between a masked fighter and a geomancer, which could prove to be interesting.

Next in line would be Hercules, the hero of Olympus, against a red-coated, large-sword-wielding man who was named Auron. Sora resolved to see this fight if it was the last thing he did; he had beaten Herc, but he seriously doubted that it the swordsman Auron would be capable of it.

The final bout (to his dismay) pitted Sora himself against Yuffie. He knew he'd be able to defeat her; he was able to handle Leon and Yuffie at the same time by himself. Unless, of course, she had learned a thing or two when he wasn't looking, which he doubted. It would be pretty straightforward.

And so the battles were carried out, one by one, and Sora progressed from his initial standings through two rounds (one of which was a byfight), making it into the final round against both Kydran and Puppet. Strangely pleased by this turn of events (he _had_ wanted to fight Kydran after all), he was still unnerved. Puppet, wielding a glaive-spear weapon, had given little effort to moving through his battles to the final round, handling himself easily against one of the most dangerous opponents Sora had ever faced.

So it would be Sora and Kydran facing Puppet. The Keyblade Master readied himself.

* * *

Sora waited behind the portcullis, Keyblade not yet summoned. He was considering how to defeat his opponents; even if he allied with Kydran and their combined power was able to defeat Puppet somehow, he would still have to face down Kydran alone, and the wielder of the Heart Key had proven himself to be more than a match for many. 

Sora got to his feet as he heard the gears turning all around him. The machinery that worked the portcullises was unseen, but was rather loud and seemed to cry for oiling. The gate before the Keyblade Master lifted into the ceiling, and he stepped out into the open, taking in the wild cheers of the crowd.

The three fighters had been placed in the large arena, the one that had been used throughout the tournament. Puppet was already in the pit, standing in the center, holding his weapon in his right hand. From the gate across from Sora emerged Kydran, his Heart Key already summoned in his left hand, upside-down, his other hand wrapped about the handle of his crystal-sword, which he had slung over his back.

Sora looked to Kydran, and Kydran looked back to Sora. The two of them nodded, acknowledging that Puppet was the greater threat. Their little rivalry would have to wait.

Both of the boys erupted into a charge at the raincoated man. Sora could hear only the pounding of his feet, the cheers of the crowd fading into white noise. He reached out with his mind, calling to the Oathkeeper and the Oblivion. This time, he felt no resistannce, and in a flash of Light and Dark, the two keyblades materialized.

Kydran was the first to reach Puppet. As Kydran closed in, Puppet's spear arm lifted to the level at which he chose to strike, then popped straight out at Kydran. He was not gripping the spear; the shaft of it slid easily through his hand, the business end of the weapon darting at the black-haired boy. The Heart Key wielder responded by moving into a spin, knocking away the weapon with the Heart Key, and as he completed his revolution he drew his diamond weapon from its sheath, using the momentum to bring power into the stroke.

Puppet was impossibly fast, and despite the velocity with which Kydran was moving, the Unknown had had time to pop the spear back up, allowing the shaft to again slide through his hands. He blocked Kydran's slash with the base of his spear and, taking a hold of the top of his spear with his other hand, made a broom-sweeping motion to take Kydran's legs out from under him. The flat of the spear caught the back of his legs, and down he went.

The raincoated one, not skipping a beat, popped the base of the weapon over his shoulder at the approaching Sora's face. The spear, being longer than either of his Keyblades, would force Sora to tie up the Oathkeeper swatting it aside. The Keyblade Master came swinging with the Oblivion, eyes focused on Puppet, but he was no longer there.

A sharp pain shot through Sora's legs, and felt himself fall. Puppet had used the momentum gained from, Sora's overuse of force in turning his weapon aside and had spun, ducking down beneath the swing of the Oblivion, and swept him off his feet. At this moment, Kydran had performed a strange sort of break-dance spin on the ground to give him the momentum to get onto his feet, and had used the motion to take a slash at Puppet's heel. He was a millimeter out of range, however, striking nothing but air.

By the time Sora had realized he was disconnected from the ground, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as Puppet brought the shaft of his spear down into his body with both hands. Sora landed, groaning.

In the same motion, Puppet had readied himself to thrust at the now-standing Kydran from beneath an armpit. Kydran turned this stroke aside and came in with a counterslash from the crystal sword.

Puppet moved just out of range, hopping onto Sora's chest as he began to pick himself up. The boy fell back down with a grunt, and Puppet, holding the very base of the spear, swung its full length at Kydran. The black-haired boy dropped beneath it, and sprung at the raincoated man.

Puppet fell backwards, and narrowly avoided two strokes from either of Kydran's weapons, keeping himself just out of reach. The Unknown swung the spear back over his head as he somersaulted over it, standing it straight up and balancing on it. Then, with a spring of the arm, he launched himself into the air and brought the weapon to bear on Kydran. Puppet, propelled by his spear-spring, and Kydran, still bearing momentum from his jump to strike, launched upward.

There was a cacophony of steel as Puppet kept both of Kydran weapons at bay, somehow doing so with one hand and also, somehow, keeping the point of his spear from deviating from Kydran's vital zones at any time.

Puppet suddenly turned himself in midair and planted a foot on some kind of unseen platform. Reversing his direction, Puppet charged at Kydran now, nearly skewering him in the weapon. The Heart Key wielder had had only an instant to react, and had used both blades to turn away Puppet's counter-thrust, hoping to spin and cut him as the raincoated man moved out of range, but instead felt a jolt as Puppet grabbed one of his feet and flung him, full-force, into Sora, who had just managed to get to his feet in attempt to join the fray. Both the boys went flying across the pit, and slammed against the wall opposite the one Puppet now stood before.

Then, Puppet's head snapped upward, and he looked to the sky. The crowd's gazes followed his.

High above them all, a dark figure hovered in the air, his raincoat flailing about him as though in a hurricane wind. It had one hand raised up, pointing toward the sky, hand grasping a sphere of violet power. It was Knives.

"Maybe you can't understand my words, slum-rodent, but you'll understand my fury soon enough!" he screamed down, the energy he was harnessing amplifying his voice to the point of making more than one set of ears bleed. "Now, king of all monsters, make them bleed!"

Knives hurled the sphere of purple haze, bright as a sun, toward the Coliseum floor, and summoned a portal around himself, fading into nothing.

As the summoning sphere sped toward the ground, it enlarged, revealing a black core within the sunlike orb. The globe grew larger and larger, until it was at least the size of a house, and before it struck the ground, there was a blinding flash of light.

Before Kydran and Sora and Puppet stood Omega WEAPON, sword in hand, both of its faces glaring at the hooded one.

The fight was on.

* * *

Omega WEAPON was immense to say the least, a violet-silver crystal-plated nightmare standing eighteen feet high and, from head to the end of its tail, nearly as long as a basketball court. It was a centaur-like monster, bearing the lower body of a bulldog shape and the torso of a man. The WEAPON had two faces, one of them on the humanoid head and another at the front of the lower portion of the body. The human head had no mouth, its head almost crystalline and crestlike, a pair of emerald eyes set in deep sockets. The lower body's maw was huge, sporting many razor-sharp teeth. The upper portion of the monster also featured a pair of small, crystalline bird-wings sprouting from its back, and the lower portion of the WEAPON had an immense plated tail which swung back and forth, threateningly. And then there was its weapon. 

The Omega WEAPON's sword was legendary amongst warriors, told to be even more powerful than any sword created, by a mortal or otherwise. The weapon was huge, easily twice the size of a man, and it was wielded by WEAPON with only one hand.

Puppet took the initiative instantly, launching himself at the monster, his initial burst of speed quick enough to fool both Sora and Kydran's eyes into thinking he had disappeared. Wasting no time, the two boys charged forward.

The Omega WEAPON's speed was unreal, despite its size. Puppet had little time to react before the WEAPON had grasped his spear, in mid-thrust, with its off-hand. It made to swing at him with its blade, but Puppet released his spear and landed on the ground, looking straight into the lower body's face.

The WEAPON laapt forward, and the lower body made an attempt to grab Puppet with its maw while the torso swiveled around to take a swing at Sora. Kydran had already been taken completely off-guard by the monster's tail, swatted aside like a gnat. The black-clad boy was sent flying into the stands, as a result, had killed more than one person upon impact. Sora ducked below the Weapon's swing, his counterattack making a marginal connection with the monster's wrist, and was forced to roll off of the WEAPON's lower-portion's back in order to avoid the next swing.

Sora landed on the ground, and sprung forward, narrowly avoiding being caught under the colossal beast's clawed foot. He executed a quick roll to gain more distance, unaware that he had avoided an azure pulse of power from the monster that had been an attempt to destroy him.

By then, the crowd in the Arena was in panic. Kydran coughed, the breath knocked out of him, and tried to pick himself up before being knocked back down by the mob of frightened Arena patrons. Regaining his bearings as best he could, he shoved his way through to his feet, leapt out of the crowd and back into the fray.

The Omega WEAPON made another lunge at Puppet, but was halted when the Unknown threw up an azure wall of energy. The WEAPON bounced off of it, and Puppet leapt out from behind it, thrusting a hand out, palm-forward, at the WEAPON's wrist. A red laser burst out, connecting with the monster's wrist, forcing it to drop his spear. With a deft leap forward Puppet retrieved his weapon before it struck ground, in time to half-turn in midair to deflect a swing from the monster's blade.

"Hold on, we're coming!" Sora heard a familiar voice cry, and while the monster was busied with Puppet, he risked a look to see who had called. Cloud, Leon, Hercules, and Auron all emerged from one gate, immediately spreading out so the WEAPON could not blast them all at once. From the gate opposite them, Sephiroth came running toward the battle, Masamune in one hand and a sphere of condensed flame in the other.

The monster seemed to give no notice of them as it deflected one of Puppet's thrusts and countered with a needle-thin beam of azure power, concentrated enough to cut through anything. Puppet rolled out of the way, got to his feet, and had no time to react to the next needle-laser.

While Puppet seemed to move, just a hair's breadth, the beam nonetheless entered into the hood and passed out the back. Sora would have sworn it had passed just far enough to miss, but the man froze and, after an moment, fell to the ground, unmoving.

Sephiroth took the initiative, his boots pounding on the dusty ground as he neared the WEAPON. The mouth of the monster's lower body opened as wide as it could, power gathering within it. The monster's torso turned to face the One-Winger Angel, and shielded itself with its sword from the eruption of flame from Sephiroth's hand.

Auron, closing the distance, wasted no time in assaulting the bulldog-face, in attempt to harm it enough to dissipate the energy, underestimating how quickly it would gather. Hercules, seeing this, barreled toward the swordsman, plowing into him as the WEAPON released the Corona, a beam of energy the intensity of a sun.

Hercules tried to shield his eyes, to do something. He was engulfed in the yellow flood of power, which blasted past him and into the thick of the escaping crowd. The screams of the dying filled the air, and when the beam had done its work, an intense explosion erupted in its wake. Hercules styill stood, though his golden aura was gone, and his skin was heavily burned, his arms charred.

Sephiroth was doing well in keeping the monster's upper body occupied; the Ex-SOLDIER and the WEAPON fought at blinding speed, their weapons creating a symphony of steel and crystal.

Leon, Cloud, and Auron had settled themselves with combatting the monster's lower body, while Kydran rushed to get Hercules out of harm's way before he was killed and Sora dealt with the monster's tail, keeping it occupied while Sephiroth did his work.

The maw was spitting fireballs left and right, nearly knocking out any one of the three warriors fighting it each time, though they had done a well enough job harassing it that it dared not attempt another Corona. Soon, however, the monster decided to break the pattern. Ignoring Sora entirely, the WEAPON's tail lashed whipped away, snapping towards the front of its body, making full contact with an unprepared Cloud. The warrior flew backwards, taken off his feet by the force of it, and landed in the Arena's stands.

"I'll help you fight!" cried a female voice from behind one of the gates, and Leon didn't even need to look to see who it was. His stomache turned with worry. Yuffie had joined the fray.

* * *

Kydran dragged Hercules out of the Arena, into the gathering area before the two large statues, and looked desperately for somebody to help him. The place was practically in shambles, and many charred bodies littered the ground everywhere. Aerith was nearby, he saw, fighting to save those who were not instantly slain with the help of Pandora and the Crest Sorceress, Lilka. 

"Please, you've got to help him, and you've got to help us! Everyone will die if we don't stop it, and we're no match for that monster!" cried Kydran, laying Hercules down, summoning the Heart Key and drawing his crystal sword weapon once more. "I'm going back in. Take care of Hercules!"

He was gone before any of the girls could say anything.

* * *

The WEAPON's tail connected with Auron as well, sending him rocketing into a wall no far from the battle, his impact leaving a cracked indentation in the marble bricks. When he fell down, he did not get up again. 

Omega WEAPON, having dealt with two of its assailants, then used its tail to swing at Sephiroth. Soraq had tried, in vain, to strike at it, to keep it under control, but had done so in vain. Sephiroth turned, slashed through the monster's tail, and was cleaved in two by the Omega WEAPON's sword. Sephiroth froze, hung in midair, and then exploded into a cloud of black feathers.

Leon watched these things happen, all in rapid succession. Then, things began to slow down. He could see it all happen, watch as every moment was dragged down to a snail's pace, though all his senses had been heightened.

He felt the pounding of four feet as Yuffie emerged from the front area, and Kydran emerged behind her. He saw the gathered power in the Omega WEAPON's jaws, saw it overflow and begin to burst forth, saw the world turn as he dove out of the way. He heard Kydran's scream for Yuffie to get out of the path of his attack, and heard the rush of Kydran's Heart Key being flung toward the monster's beast-mouth. He smelled the smell of burnt ozone and heat as the Corona erupted. He tasted the blood in the back of his throat from his physical exertion.

As Leon hit the ground, he saw the Corona engulf Yuffie, saw Kydran hit the ground and cover his head so that the beam would pass just over his head. He saw the Heart Key fly into the WEAPON's open mouth, and watched as the Corona backfired into the monster's own heart, opened by Kydran's weapon.

He tried to cover his face as the monster exploded with the force of a dying star, taking apart every standing building across Olympus, consuming all the unprotected.

Leon passed out.

* * *

Kydran placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, trying to reassure him as he stood looking over the remains of the coliseum. How they had survived, the emerald-eyed boy had no clue, but there they were. He was surprised to find that he felt good, almost elated, despite the apparent destruction and extinction of all other life on Olympus. 

Sora swatted his hand off, and stormed toward the world exit, picking his way through the rubble. The gummi ships had been blasted apart; he began work on putting together a ship from the debris.

Kydran made to go after the boy, but Pandora took a hold of his arm. She shook her head, and Kydran frowned. The girl looked completely emotionally drained; she had cried all her tears for Traverse Town and had none left for the world they now stood on.

Kydran let Sora go.

_(Tell me something.)_

_What?_

_(Why do you care about him? He's of no concern to you.)_

_Because... _

_Because he's the only Light I have._


	5. Dyne

**

* * *

Chapter 5 - ****Dyne

* * *

**

_I still don't understand._

_(The more important something is to you, the deeper in your heart you keep it until eventually it becomes forgotten.)_

_Is this the nature of the Darkness?_

_(This is the nature of all things.)_

_Why...? Why would you want to forget?_

_(Soon, you will answer that question for yourself.)

* * *

_

Leon set Yuffie's body down, not far from the world exit. He removed his leather jacket, rolled it up, and set it under her head. His gray eyes, like steel at any time but this, were filled with concern. She was still breathing, but comatose, unconscious. The ends of her clothing were charred, and her skin was a bright red from the first-degree burns incurred by her.

Sora had disappeared into the gummi docks, away from all the others. Kydran turned back to Pandora, emerald eyes bright despite the destruction about them.

"How can you smile at a time like this?" asked Pandora of the Heart Key wielder, her voice awed.

"We're alive. I expected us to die back there, I really did. I thought that that monster was going to destroy us all," he replied, his smile growing a little broader as he looked her over. Took her in. She still appeared worn, but was no worse for the wear.

Not far from them, Cloud had also placed the bodies of Auron and Hercules beside Yuffie's body. As Cloud had brought Auron, Leon's head had snapped up, as though Cloud were some sort of intruder, before his attention shifted back to Yuffie. Aerith moved up beside Cloud, her eyes sad, but her stature strong.

"Leon..."

The gunblader looked up to Aerith, who had addressed him.

"Aerith, is there anything you can do?"

The pink-clad sorceress nodded, and proceeded to cast her healing magics upon Yuffie. It would take time, they all knew, but eventually they would all pull through.

A cry from beneath a mound of rubble grasped Kydran's attention. He perked up; it sounded female, though it was muffled and hard to tell. Maybe he was hearing things. No, there it was again. He sprinted for a pile of broken marble, slid to a stop and leaned forward, placing his hands on the bricks for support.

"Hello? Where are you?"

"Under here! We're trapped, and the barrier won't hold for long!"

Pandora scrambled to his side, followed shortly by Cloud. Pandora's expression was rife with worry, and Cloud started work on moving the bricks, Kydran helping as much as possible despite the immense weight of the rubble.

Beneath the masses of bricks and debris were seven people, all but one of whom neither Kydran or Cloud or Pandora could recognize. Kydran looked to Pandora; she appeared saddened, suddenly. He made a mental note to ask her later what the matter was, but his attention shifted to the survivors.

"Are you guys hurt?" asked Kydran, reaching in to help the first of them out.

"I think we're okay," responded a young woman, apparently in her late teens, who was in the very back. Her voice must have been the one that got their attention. "I saw everything, it was terrible! Everything just fell apart... I managed to set up this barrier, so we wouldn't get crushed."

None of them, in fact, were injured by any means. The sorceress's barrier had kept them protected exceptionally well. She was the last to be extracted from beneath the wreckage, and as soon as she had left the confines of that rocky prison (excepting for a quick trip back to retrieve her small umbrella), the barrier faded and the bricks and boulders rolled in immediately to fill the gap. They would have crushed anything caught beneath them.

"You're Lilka Eleniak, right?" queried Pandora of the woman who was now brushing herself off and checking the umbrella for signs of damage.

"Yep. Lilka Eleniak, of Fargaia," she replied, with a charming smile. The smile faded immediately, and worry came across her features. "I tried my best to use my magic to protect every other living thing in the coliseum from that explosion. Are we... the only survivors?"

Kydran shrugged and his head shook. He moved up beside Pandora.

"We don't know. We're still trying to see what's going on, and we have a friend who's hurt seriously, but yeah, you guys are the only other people we've seen."

Lilka didn't look much encouraged.

Kydran looked the young woman over, mildly interested in her attire. She donned a red short skirt, and over her shoulders was draped a cape which fell over her back and split into two ends, each end tipped with a large jingle-bell-like ornament. She also wore a pair of strange-looking boots upon each foot. The fabric of her clothing was some manner of thick silk, incorporating reds and golds, and appeared rather expensive. Long tresses of auburn flowed about her head, tied in back into a pair of pigtails.

The six other survivors made their way past the world exit, to the gummi docks, trying to decide upon a plan of action.

Leon maintained his vigil over Yuffie.

Pandora watched Lilka silently, impressed at her ability to have saved both herself and those people. Kydran had stepped away, and began thinking. How were they to get off this world? Had Sora done so already? The young man decided to find out.

Kydran found Pandora engaged in conversation with Lilka Eleniak.

"You said you're from Fargaia? Was that place destroyed, too?" started Pandora, and Lilka shook her head.

"Nope. Thank goodness, too, everybody around else here seems to have had their homes destroyed."

"Then how'd you get to this coliseum?"

Lilka giggled, and shook her head again. "I, uh... I was trying to use a teleportation stone to get to the other side of Fargaia. It misfired, I guess, and I ended up way out here. I'm not even sure where Fargaia is." This was punctuated by a lighthearted laugh. "I thought maybe while I was at it, I'd compete, but I only lasted a couple rounds."

Pandora was looking at her oddly. Lilka asked for an explanation.

"I don't get it. You can set up a barrier to save everybody from being vaporized by an all-powerful monster, but you only lasted a couple rounds?"

To this, Lilka paused a moment, the memory of the beast that had beaten her flashing behind her eyes. Then, slowly, she offered a shrewd smile, and winked. "I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Kydran gave his love a light tap on the arm, to get her attention. She turned, and he addressed her.

"Have you seen Sora at all since the blast?"

"No, I haven't. We've been so busy trying to assess the damage and heal the wounded that-"

"I'm going to go find him," Kydran said, interrupting her, though she didn't mind. He seemed a little distant, and she knew his mind was tied up with Sora.

"Alright. Good luck," she said, nodding. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and turned back to Lilka. Kydran walked away.

"So, where did you meet him?" queried Lilka when the boy was out of earshot. "He's weird, but he's cute."

"And he's a lot stronger than he looks. I found him in an alley in Traverse Town," Pandora replied, and she was quiet for a moment. The pain was still very fresh. "Just yesterday."

"Wow. Talk about chemistry," the other girl grinned.

"No... it's not that," the black-haired girl replied, folding her arms, thinking. "I can't shake the feeling I've seen him somewhere before. I don't think he knows who he really is. It's like I already know how he acts, how to make him smile, that when he gets caught up in an idea he retreats into his own little world and ignores everything around him. And... I don't know if he realizes it, but he knows how to smile just the right way, to say just the right things..."

"Wow. Well, count yourself among the lucky. Try as I might, it's always just me."

"Well, if your fighting is any indication of your loving-"

"Hey! That's not fair!"

Pandora laughed, genuinely, and Lilka's peals of laughter soon joined hers.

"Would you ladies mind keeping it down a notch?" came Hercules' voice as he sat up, holding his head. "I've got a headache the size of Olympus."

"You're not alone on that one," muttered Auron, picking himself up. The girls watched as Herc clambered to his feet. Auron wobbled on his feet, and the girls stabilized him.

"Wow, you guys recovered quickly. I'm surprised," commented Pandora, and Hercules nodded.

"Well, I _am_ the son of Zeus, and Auron here seems to be pretty durable, at least as far as the games are concerned."

"Are there any survivors?" asked Auron, straight to the point.

"A few. We've been busy enough trying to help the people we've found."

"I'm going to look."

"I'll go with you," stated Hercules. "You might need the help. Thank you ladies very much for your help."

"No problem," was their simultaneous response. Lilka and Pandora glanced to each other, then back to the other two men, but they were already walking off.

This occurred as Kydran returned from the World Exit, bearing an expression of icy-cold worry.

"Sora's gone. I can't find him anywhere. The people Lilka saved said they saw a ship taking off a minute ago."

This finally drew Leon's attention away from Yuffie. He glanced up at Kydran, cold gray eyes also brimming with concern. Aerith also turned away from her vigil, Cloud silent as ever.

"What are we going to do?" asked Kydran of the ex-residents of Hollow Bastion.

"We'll wait until Yuffie and Zidane wake up, then we'll put a gummi ship together and find Sora," answered Leon, who stood up. The Lion's gaze turned back to his fallen comrade. "Or you could start working on it now. I don't know..."

Aerith moved toward Kydran, smiling weakly. "I'll help. Let's get to it."

Cloud followed Aerith, and was soon tailed by Pandora and Lilka, who were still exchanging words. Kydran led the way out to the docks, where all the ships had fallen apart. Their work was long and arduous; building a gummi ship without a garage was tiring business. The blocks were heavy, and getting them to stick together required a large amount of pressure.

In time, Yuffie's eyes would peel open, a groan escaping her lips. She sat up, slowly, aided by Leon's strong hand. He fought the urge to smile; the situation was grim. Despite this, he couldn't help himself. The scarred warrior was beaming.

"Welcome back."

"Leon...! Where... what happened?" she asked, looking around. "This is the coliseum?"

"Yes. The Omega WEAPON destroyed everything. Lilka stopped it from killing us, and you, though.

"What are we going to do?"

"Sora's gone. He put a gummi ship together and left. The others are trying to build one, but it's slow work. And you and I are here, having a rather enjoyable chat."

Yuffie groaned, and lay back down. Things were not looking bright at all.

Still, just as fate bestows bad luck, she also brings good luck. Finally, fortune smiled upon the survivors of the massacre- in the form of Cid Highwind, piloting a gummi ship. The man, bearing a cigarette between his lips, stepped out of his ship and surveyed the area.

"What the $# happened here!" exclaimed the old pilot, already having claimed their attention with his landing. "Like some kinda &# massacre!"

Aerith had honestly never been so glad to see the stodgy shopkeeper. She grinned, so rare a sight regarding Aerith, and made toward the ship.

"Cid! The coliseum was wrecked by a super-monster. We, and those people there, are the only survivors."

Yuffie and Leon came through the gates toward them. Cid was speechless, for once, and blandly motioned toward his gummi ship. Kydran stopped, letting the others through, and spoke to Cid.

"The other survivors said they saw Sora's ship take off. Did you see a ship leaving here?"

"If that's what it was. Took off like a bat outta hell."

"Where did it go!" Kydran exclaimed, grabbing Cid's shoulders and shaking him furiously. Cid looked positively weirded, and swatted the boy's hands away.

"It was headed toward Halloween Town. Just simmer down, kid. Cool it, we'll get there."

"You know where it is?"

"Like hell I do! Let's get movin' already!" retorted Cid, shooing Kydran into the ship. The raven-haired boy followed and entered the ship, optimistic despite his anxiety. They had to find Sora; Kydran was realizing very quickly how important the Keyblade Master was.

Kydran was surprised, upon boarding, to find that Auron was already on the ship, somehow, and while he wasn't piloting, he had decided to come along for the ride.

Cid wasted no time in closing the hatches and igniting the engines. Within moments, they were in the air, on their way to Halloween Town.

* * *

It was strange, Kydran observed, how well Lilka and Pandora fell together. Pandora had even salvaged some of her confidence; being around a girl who was just as lost as she, and the knowledge that Kydran (though it was an unspoken promise, it was understood) would be there to help her if she needed him, made her feel much more comfortable. Kydran sat with them in the small lounge installed in the gummi ship. 

"So you have a keyblade, too?" asked Lilka, not a little surprised.

At this, Kydran had been dragged out of his Sora-oriented reverie. "Huh?"

"You have a keyblade, right?"

"Oh, yeah. A keyblade that unlocks hearts."

Lilka's eyes became huge. "You mean you can just... open them up?"

"I think that's how it works. You just... stab them in the heart. Dangerous how easy it is. It worried Sora a lot. Think we'll get there soon?"

"Why do you worry about him so much? You act happy, but I can tell you're worried. What's up?" asked Pandora, who happened to be sitting in Kydran's lap. She had swiveled about to look at him; his arms were wrapped about her. She did have a point.

"I don't know. Habit, maybe? I just can't shake the feeling that I _need_ to be with him, alongside him. He was in really bad shape when he went."

"We'll find him. Don't worry about it," reassured the black-haired girl. She turned back to Lilka and let Kydran back to his thinking. "So, Lilka. Where'd you learn how to use magic?"

"Fargaia. I'm a Crest Sorceress."

"...Crest Sorceress?"

"Yeah, it's tough stuff to explain but there's a wide range of spells I can use."

Pandora continued to ask questions of Lilka about magic. The rest of the journey was made in a few short lessons on magical theory and a short lesson in Crest Sorcery, until Cid had announced that they had made their arrival. Leon and Aerith made it very clear that they were to be as discreet and inconspicuous as possible. By merely arriving on the world, they were meddling, and meddling was bad. Kydran didn't really understand why this was so, but he obeyed their commands.

Kydran, Leon, and Pandora were the ones chosen to find Sora. Leon, as of recent times, had shown more concern for the welfare of people he had, prehaps, taken for granted recently. One such person was Sora. This being so, the three of them made their way through Guillotine Gate.

The world, this time, lacked the many Heartless that had populated the area during Sora's previous arrival. Despite this, Kydran had brought his crystal sword, and Pandora kept a tight grip on Kydran's arm, tight enough to make the black-clad boy wonder if she would cut off circulation to his hands. The sound of distant screams and chains clinking and 'boo's being cried set the atmosphere.

They meandered through Guillotine Square. As they did so, Kydran found himself less and less interested in the scenery and more and more interested in the sound his heart was making. It was not just one beat; he was feeling _two_.

"Sora...?"

Kydran received no response except for strange looks from both his companions. Shrugging, he continued forward and cried out in surprise. The Heart Key was summoned into his left hand; Pandora dropped behind Kydran, and Leon's gunblade sung as it was drawn from the belts at his waist.

Towering over them was an exceptionally thin skeleton donning a black suit and flashing a bony grin.

"**Hello** there! Welcome to Halloween Town!" exclaimed the skeleton exuberantly, first adjusting the bow-tie at his neck (which was actually a bat) before extending his skeletal hand to each of them in turn. Kydran felt the urge to whack him atop the head with the Heart Key. "No offense, but your costumes aren't very scary. They are very unusual, though!"

"You surprised the hell out of me," muttered Kydran, dispelling the Heart Key.

"That's great! I do hope you'll enjoy yourselves. We get so few visitors nowadays."

"Did you see another boy come here? His name's Sora, he's wearing a bright red-"

"Sora's here? I had no idea! You're welcome to go look for him, just stay into trouble!" interrupted the skeleton, as he began to move away. Kydran felt an odd sense of friendship with this one; despite his outlandishness, this skeleton was very jovial.

"Hey, what's your name?" the boy queried before the figure was out of earshot. The skeleton turned and offered a large, ghostly grin.

"I'm Jack, the Pumpkin King. Enjoy your stay here in my Town!" And with that, Jack was gone.

Pandora was absolutely pale.

"K-Kydran... a... huge skeleton just... talked to us..."

"Sure enough. Come on, I think I know where Sora is."

The three of them, with Kydran in the lead, cautiously traversed along the walls of Guillotine Square, before finding a small alleyway which led to a set of stairs. They scaled these rather large steps, and pushed through the wiry, rusted gate. They found themselves in a cemetery.

It was a narrow affair, dank and cold like the rest of the spooky world. Unnerving tombstones, each bearing a gargoyle statue atop them, gazed out at them as the three passed by. Kydran felt the second heartbeat growing stronger. The heartbeats did not sound off at once; there was one beat, followed perfectly by the other heartbeat, no mistakes in their intervals, alternating back and forth.

The raven-haired boy approached the large stone coffin at the end of the cemetery. He felt, steadily, his own happy, tranquil thoughts becoming less and less so. He came to the side of the coffin, and peered in. Kydran saw an image that would never leave him, but unnerved him terribly:

Sora lay in that coffin, sound asleep, as though dead.

_(It's too late.)_

_What do you mean?_

_(You can't save him. He's lost. Lost in his own memories.)_

_How did that happen? _

_(It doesn't matter now. He can't come back.)_

_No! I'll bring him back! **Sora!**_

_(Don't bother. From where I'm going to send you, you won't even be able to save yourself.)_

_No...!_

Kydran saw no more.

But his body continued to move, hair shifting from black to bright crimson.

The Heart Key manifested itself in his left hand; he reared the weapon back, and brought it at Sora tip-first, while he lay helpless in that coffin.

It was Pandora's cry that awoke the Keyblade Master; he shot up, stock-straight, as though awakened from a nightmare. Leon was caught nearly unawares, his attention having been focused on the massive moon in the sky.

Kydran's hair flashed to black.

The tip of the keyblade made a solid connection with Sora's chest, and Kydran leaned in to Sora as he sat upright, paralyzed in the coffin, blade protruding from his chest, and whispered something into his ear before he withdrew the blade and his hair shifted back to crimson.

The boy reared back to make two-handed, killing swing at the Keyblade Master, but the Heart Key was stopped abruptly.

Another keyblade, black in form, barred its path. Malicious emerald eyes followed the tip of the weapon, from the raven spine and bladed teeth, over the blade in which a black chain was embedded, down to the bat-wing handle and the right hand that held it. His eyes traveled along the arm, up to the body, to the boy clad in white and black. Light blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that looked similar to Sora's own. Exactly the same, at a second glance. The blonde haired kid's eyes were narrowed, but Kydran paid no mind. Combat was imminent.

Kydran's new assailant bore another keyblade, one which Sora would recognize, shocked, before passing out. A shining silver keyblade, which emitted trails and arcs of bright orange power. Angel wings graced the hilt of the weapon, from which sprouted twin blades which terminated into a dark-steel heart. A number of spines extended from the tip, in a half-star pattern. The dual wielder bore both the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper.

The ebon-haired psychopath would find out very quickly how well this blonde haired kid knew how to use the weapons. He was forced back, held under a flurry of twin keyblades, before quickly gaining his footing and returning with a barrage of his own.

Pandora was absolutely stricken. Her jaw hung open and she backed up slowly against the stone coffin. She didn't want to believe it; Kydran, _her_ Kydran, had just attacked Sora! She didn't want to believe it. He didn't look like the Kydran she knew anymore. A wild look had entered his eyes, a fiendish look, and now he was fighting two other individuals, for Leon had joined the fray.

The black-clad boy was ready; within an instant, the dual wielder found himself facing not only the Heart Key, but the diamond blade Kydran had brought with him. This evened the odds, for now Kydran had one blade to tie up each of the others.

The blonde-haired kid disengaged, leaping back and thrusting the Oathkeeper out. He cried out a word of power, and flame materialized at the tip of the white keyblade. From it burst a large globe of Fire: Firaga. And another. And another.

Kydran immediately turned his attention to Leon, and laughed a hollow laugh. Leon made a swing at the red-haired boy, trying fiercely to cut him down. It was to no avail; Kydran simply moved aside, faster than the warrior could keep track of. He would have flicked the gunblade back to parry an incoming blow, but the blow never came, and his wrist did not move.

Kydran had let the approaching blade to pass through the hilt of the Heart Key. With a twist of the hand, Leon's weapon was locked fast in between the handle and the crimson hilt. He was jerked off his feet suddenly, and braced up. His own grey eyes looked into Kydran's maddened, sadistic green eyes. Then the pain struck in full force.

The Firagas the dual wielder had intended for Kydran were instead striking Zidane, for Kydran had, cunningly, turned him into the path of the fireballs. Leon, too weak to fight anymore, went limp, and was dropped to the ground. Kydran reared the Heart Key back and hurled it at Zidane. It spun, disc-like, gathered energy, forcing the other to deflect with both of his keyblades. This had bought Kydran enough time. He called the weapon back in the middle of a downward thrust, and brought the tip of the Heart Key into Leon's back.

Darkness, of a purity and amount nearly unheard of, coursed from Kydran's gloved hand, through the Heart Key and into Leon's unlocked heart

_(forget about it all struggle no more become a servant of that which you hate most)_

and the Griever writhed. He fought to get up, froze, and then his entire body went limp. From the hole in his back, Darkness began to spill forth, engulfing his entire body in a neon-green haze.

But as he turned his head from the fallen Leon back to the blonde-haired foe, he saw not the dual wielder but instead a pair of keyblades headed straight his way.

Using both the diamond blade and the Heart Key to swat them aside, the red-haired young man laughed. Without a moment having passed, the crimson-haired Kydran dismissed and called the Heart Key back, extending his hand out and catching it as it reformed. He held it upside-down; the tip was pointed toward his chest.

Kydran drove the Heart Key into himself. With a wince, he withdrew the weapon, smiled faintly, and dropped to his knees, then onto the floor. His hair shifted to black.

The Oblivion and Oathkeeper sailed elegantly back to their wielder's hands, and he approached the fallen body with a resolve that would have made even the bravest men shrink back, so intent was he upon slaying Kydran right then and there.

Pandora threw herself between the Oblivion and the falled Kydran as it was brought down to deliver the killing blow. The girl shoved his weapon away, pushed aside a rebellious bang, and the dual wielder stepped back.

"No! I won't let you hurt him!"

The blonde-haired kid looked to the writhing mass of Darkness upon the ground that was once Leon's body, then glanced coolly back to Pandora.

"Get out of my way."

"I said **no**!"

"Fine, then I'll-"

The dual wielder's voice was cut off short as a mass of Darkness swatted him aside. An arm took hold of Pandora's weapon. She resisted, but felt her strength draining from her rapidly as she resisted. The form of the monster Leon was taking shape as had its purpose.

Leon's dark form burst with dark power, suddenly engulfing the area in a reverse flash- everything was pitch-black for a moment. Through the inky blackness, a blinding light was forming; a rip in the air. A rip from which Darkness began to spill.

The dark creature recoiled as the blonde-haired kid slammed both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper into it, and Pandora stumbled back against the stone coffin, dazed. She turned to the coffin and began dragging Sora out of it, but had no problem. The rift she had inadvertently created was beginning to pull everything possible into it. The black creature Dyne was forcing back leapt through the rift eagerly, and ran to Pandora, relieving her of Sora's weight.

Pandora immediately leapt for Kydran, the keyblade falling from her hand, being immediately sucked through the rift. She dropped to her knees, covering the fallen body of Kydran. She watched the blonde-haired kid struggle against the powerful vacuum, before disappearing through the cemetery gates.

Kydran's body began to slide toward the rift. She held on tightly to him, but soon the power of the rift was too strong to resist, and the both of them were swallowed by the Darkness.

* * *

The dual wielder, no longer bearing the two keyblades, leaned against the wall inside the gummi ship, his breath coming in heavy gasps. Both the panic of the moment and the physical strain left him out of breath. He slid down along the wall, curling into a sitting position. Yuffie and Cid approached immediately from the cockpit, Cid already blustering. 

"What the hell-"

"You need to get the hell out of here! Now!" shouted the boy, leaping to his feet and running toward the cockpit. "This world's about to get swallowed!"

Indeed, it was true. Looking out a nearby window, he could see another tear in the very walls that separated the realm of the Kingdom from the realm of Darkness. Halloween Town was soon consumed, shrinking into the distance and into the rift. Cid wasted no time. Yuffie looked back down to the unconscious Sora, and squatted down beside him, shaking her head. What the hell had happened down there?

The blonde-haired kid approached, holding the Oathkeeper in one of his hands. He waved it through the air, muttering something, and healing green light engulfed the Keyblade Master. The unseen wound on his back sealed shut, the Curaga having done its work.

"Who are you? And how did you get that keyblade!" started Yuffie, infuriated with her lack of control over the situation. "And where is Leon, and Pandora!"

"I'm Dyne, I don't know how I got the keyblades, and your Heart Key-wielding friend turned Leon into a Heartless the likes of which I've only seen once and would never like to again."

The girl was stunned. She tried to speak, but the words had come like a shot to the head. The ninja reached out to find a wall, leaned against it, and sunk down. She was trying not to believe it.

She, unfortunately did not have time to think on it further, for both she and Dyne were thrown about the ship as it suffered an immense blow from outside. Dyne, immediately on his feet, tended to Sora, while Yuffie stumbled into the cockpit.

"Cid, what's going on?" she heard Aerith cry over the loud alarm indicating that they would not survive another blow.

"I'll tell ya! This big &#$ **monster** is after us!"

The ninja looked through the window, seeing what was tailing them.

It was the same beast, Kydran's 'Nemesis', that had destroyed Traverse Town. Swallowed it up. She felt her sanity bending.

"The mother &$ took out our navigation systems and power controls! We're flying at full power with no control!"

"Oh no! Yuffie, look!" cried Aerith, pointing ahead.

It was a sight all too familiar to her.

Hollow Bastion, their old home.

Cid put on every manner of brake he could think of. Within an instant, the gummi ship, moving at high speed, slammed into Hollow Bastion's ocean surface.


	6. Oblivion

**

* * *

Chapter 6 -**** Oblivion

* * *

**

_His voice... it's left me._

"Kydran..."

_My... name...?_

"Kydran, wake up!"

_Kydran...? Where are you...?_

"I'm so scared..."

_Pandora...?_

"Please, you have to come back!"

_I...

* * *

_

Pandora, frightened, looked wildly around herself, nearly paralyzed by shock. She clung tightly to Kydran's body. The two were lost in a realm of inky blackness. She could not see anything beyond the two of them; it was as if light was being reflected off of them, but the source was beyond sight, and they were the only things in this vast realm of Darkness.

"Kydran! Please!"

He would not stir. She was terrified. The Darkness was already eating away at her memories; she was beginning to forget where she had come from. She had almost forgotten Kydran. This frightened her more than anything else; what if she forgot entirely? What would happen to her?

The girl felt something within her stir, felt emotions for the boy in her arms churn and roil for escape. The Darkness was eating at the outer layers of her heart; she could already feel the color fading from her memories.

With all her willpower, she kept the memory of Kydran alive. Finding him in the alleyway. Seeing him enter that doorway in Traverse Town like a knight errant, rescuing her, saving her life. Holding her, the only one there for her. In the Coliseum.

Sitting beside a boy with hair of black and red on a decrepit old rooftop, looking up at the shining silver spire that pierced into a sky of gray...

She looked away from him for a moment. Ahead of them, where they were destined, she could see ground; or, the closest thing to it. A massive slab of blue-white stone, stalactites clinging to the bottom of it, flattened at its top.

Pandora suddenly had the sensation of slowing down, from passing through air to entering water. He clothing, and Kydran's, billowed, as if caught in a great wind. The two landed softly, Kydran on his back, the girl beside him. Her frightened eyes traced along the ground, up into the "sky", out into the Abyss, the realm of Darkness. She fought to her feet, focusing still on her memories of Kydran. She had to fight, to keep them both from being eaten by the Darkness.

Pandora felt a headache gathering in her head, like a thunderstorm gathers over the plains. She raised a hand to a temple, sighing. She had to be strong, Kydran could not fight. This was her time.

Then, the boy groaned loudly, grasping his chest, a cry of pain following that groan. She whipped about, came back to his side and dropped to her knees beside him.

"Kydran!"

"My... name..."

"Kydran, what's happening!" her voice came, splitting through the awful silence, shrill and terrified.

"Pan... Pandora! What- augh!" Kydran attempted to say, his voice muffled and broken by gasps of agony.

"No...!"

_(what am I doing here its so cold too cold winter cold)_

"Kydran, tell me what's wrong!"

_(who are you)_

He was long gone. Her hands went to the sides of his head, lightly, as if he were too fragile to hold. His breathing was troubled.

And then he flickered.

Pandora thought it was a figment of her imagination, but it had happened again. He had _flickered_. It was as if he was some sort of holographic image, and the channel had been changed and changed back. One instant he was wearing the black clothing, the next he was clad in rags, his face covered with soot. Her heart ached, and she didn't know why. By the time she had realized that it had happened, he was as he had been.

_(wheres Sora)_

"Kydran..."

Was he dying? Already dead? She felt irrevocably lost. The wielder of the Heart Key could not save her. She couldn't help Kydran, and she knew something was wrong, that they were in terrible danger. She was helpless.

Pandora pulled Kydran closer, tears stinging at her eyes. Indignance, frustration, sorrow, all of them welled up within her. She shouted at the top of her lungs, at the black sky, hoping in vain that maybe it would all just go away.

Twin emerald oculars shot open. Kydran cried out, flailed, flickering once more.

"Kydran! What's wrong! Tell me!"

_(you brought me back whats going on where are we)_

"Come back!"

"...no... go back..."

"I can't!"

_(no this cant be happening hes here its here in this place my Nemesis)_

The girl felt chilled, suddenly. As though having been plunged into glacial waters, she lost her breath, but within herself she felt a heat. Like being microwaved. Her gut ached; the heat from within her spread outward. The feeling was the same as one would get when in a car that has gone out of control, unstoppably, inevitably careening toward a cliff. She knew she was in trouble. Deep, deep trouble.

Inky black tentacles, small in size but immeasurable in number, slipped onto the edge of the floating rock the two were on. They were followed by more, and more, and more. The whipping sounds they made as they flailed chaotically through the air intimidated Pandora even further, tore her thoughts away from Kydran. She stood up, and turned to face the monster, getting to her feet as well as she was able.

From over the edge of the platform rose black fire. An immense crystal, easily twice the size of a fully grown man, emitted this energy, and from it were spawned the limitless tentacles, extensions of the unadulterated Darkness within it.

She would have screamed if she had had the breath.

Kydran had stopped convulsing, and lay, wide awake, staring into the pure nothingness above him. His head lolled to the side, his face emotionless but the heart within him screaming, sobbing, losing control.

The crystal was in the shape of a heart; within it was a neon-green haze, the center of it a blinding white, comparable to a sun in brightness. The light disappeared- or, rather, opened up to reveal the Darkness within.

An eye, mystifying and hypnotic, opened within the crystal. The dark fire intensified, lightning crackling along the faceted edges of this crystalline heart. The tendrils of Darkness had stopped their advance, but were now forming appendages, limbs. Around this crystal, a ribcage was manifesting, though the sternum remained unformed- the ribcage was open.

Pandora was frozen in place.

She heard a voice speak; it was the voice of the last person she expected to hear in this dark place.

"_Do not resist. Give me what I desire_," came Reifa's voice, grotesque and malicious, resonating from the crystal. Pandora gasped sharply, amazed she could still breathe.

"I know... you're here for your boy. I know your face, you slime."

Her mouth was moving, but Pandora had not willed the words out; or had she? It was impossible to tell anymore.

"_Stand aside or be forever trapped in oblivion_."

"He would never forget me."

Kydran, laying on the ground, sunk beneath the surface of his consciousness, drowning in his own chaotic thoughts. He would have suffocated on his memories, died there, if not for one thing:

His heart was not pulsing on its own.

Pandora raised a hand over her chest, glaring back at this eye. This time, she knew it was her words. Her will. Her anger. Her defiance.

"You cannot have him."

The Darkheart Crystal said nothing.

Kydran felt the heartbeat, not his own but still his own. He wept.

_(here I am again so miserable so cold so alone can't I just have one friend without a price-)_

Power gathered before the eye, dark energy, purest of voids, devourer of worlds and memories.

_(here I am in this cold room is it even a room or is it my hell)_

Pandora stood strong, Light blazing about her form as her thoughts of Kydran intensified, carried beyond what she thought she knew, further and further back, tapping into a force she did not know existed, especially not in the depths of Darkness. Every lock had come undone.

_Kydran was very cold. He wrapped his arms around his legs, placing his head on his knees. His breath was visible. He looked around him. The room was empty. It was his own room. The one window was broken, boarded up. Snow fell softly outside, but he could find no warmth or happiness in the beautiful weather. He felt terrified. He felt hungry. He was freezing. _

_His green eyes moved to the doorway, where he thought he had heard something. Deep within him welled a feeling of horror, a feeling that told him not to be where he was because something terrible was going to come through the door._

_He heard the front door slam. A man was shouting loudly, angrily, though Kydran could not make out the words._

_The pendant. The pendant the man in black gave him would save him._

_Right?_

_Kydran reeled back from the blow, his father's hand striking _(perfectly) _squarely with his jaw. He stumbled, nearly fell._

_He was outside. The man that stood before him was one he admired most of all; he had to smile. He saw his father's hair on the man, raven locks, the man who was clad in ragged clothing. No matter; the boy was dressed in rags, too._

_The castle walls looked so solid; he felt safe. Maybe not because of the walls, but because of his companion. Sora. That goofy, homohaired best-friend-you-could-ask-for. The boy in the red jumpsuit turned, grinned, and motioned for him to follow._

_The beach was beautiful that day... beach? No, this couldn't be his. The girl, wearing a plaid blue dress and a white tank top, moved to where the ocean met the land, the sea breeze moving through her hair, entrancing him. _

_Impossible. No Light in this place._

"You cannot have him! I will **not** let you take him!"

Pandora covered her face, standing before Kydran's body protectively. Was this her destiny? Did she have a destiny? If it was to protect the boy who lay helpless behind her, so be it.

She was unable to move anymore, soon to be unable to think.

_The figure rose before him, looming, frightening except for that sense of dead nostalgia its visage brought on. The silhouette, clad in a jet-black raincoat, extended a fist out. The gloved hand opened. Its contents gleamed silver in the artificial light._

_Nothing. A buzz filled his ears; the images before him blurred. He saw nothing._

_The blow caught him off-guard; had he been off-guard? No, he was just too slow, and the man was too fast. He couldn't see through his hands, for they covered his face defensively. There was only the dull ache in his abdomen. Then he heard his own voice, in the back of his mind, whispering malice and vengeance._

_It hadn't been the first time._

_The castle grounds were so beautiful; snow-covered, amidst a scene of sharp, talonlike mountains, a tired sun spreading dying light down in a gorgeous display. He looked to his left; beside him, the raincoated figure stood, hood raised to hide its visage._

_The small cave did not feel musty or humid anymore; rather, it felt empty, devoid of anything except those boulders with the scribbled of children upon them. He glanced right; upon the wall, there was a drawing of two people sharing a star-shaped object. He turned back to face the door. Dark fire seeped from the edges of the door, black tentacles about to force it open._

_The man, so like himself but older, his idol, his hero, began to turn away. The boy felt empty; as empty as possible. A huge piece of himself was ripped away. No, no! He coulnd't go! The boy couldn't just... let him walk away!_

_The vision blurred, the buzzing growing louder and louder and louder until Kydran felt his eyes head was going to pop like a balloon. Nothing but static._

_He was floating. No, not floating... flying. Rocketing. Faster than he thought possible. He was greased lightning, faster than that, unfathomably fast. He could make out a shape in the distance, growing steadily larger. A massive building._

_The man turned away. The boy had never felt so cold._

_Fiery eyes glared back at the boy, suddenly, emerald eyes screaming only hatred. A mane of crimson flared about his head, and a derisive expression was on the face of the boy's Id. He was surrounded on all sides. No place was safe, not even his own mind anymore._

_He extended his fingers, eyes widening at the sight of this glorious manifestation of Light. Or was it Dark? The immense heart before him pulsed loudly, emitting the buzzing that he was now getting used to. Darkness all around him, shadows, creeping forth toward this heart... the Light within the Dark? _

_He felt so empty. Empty beyond words. Sora had turned his back- just like his own brother had. Even the Keyblade Master knew now what his destiny was. Was the black-haired boy ever to be a part of it?_

_So like Kydran... the boy's back was so similar to his brother's back... the same... a cycle..._

_The building grew ever-closer. He realized it was a castle; huge, unknowably complex, so like his own memories, intertwined, inseparable despite the yearning for separation. What had separated them? He didn't know. Or maybe he didn't want to know._

_The blonde-haired boy. Dyne. Wielder of the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper. So much fog; like clouds, they came in pieces, like a jigsaw puzzle that came with no hint as to how to be put together. But it would never put itself together._

_Five of them stood, facing the black-clad boy. They donned raincoats, all of them, the Unknowns... was that not what they called themselves? _

_Hollow Bastion. He recognized that place. The leader, so familiar to the boy, raised his arms, beckoning, welcoming._

_He didn't see memories anymore._

_He could only see the Darkheart Eye, that invasive force that allowed him no rest. How could he possibly survive against the creation of his own ignorance?_

"Pandora! **NO**!"

Before his voice had reacher her, her form had already been engulfed in a black ray; the Darkness's ultimate destructive force. Pandora resisted. The Light flared in defiance before it, and the girl, were extinguished.

_Gravity took hold. He felt that _pull _once more. The castle was ever-closer. There, on the ground. A boy. How did he...? His took a nose-dive, as if drawn by an implacable magnetic force, and slammed into the blue-white rock below him. _

_He flew _through_ the other boy._

_(It's all coming back to me, the true...)_


	7. LF TTCBS 1

Here is the first of the long series of Lost Fragments. Keep in mind it's best to read them in order, or to finish the story before you read them, but do whatever you want with them. They're just parts of the Fragmented Tale that I couldn't get up the imagination to be able to edge into the story without screwing up continuity and flow, so... here ya are.

**

* * *

**

**Lost Fragments** - **The Traverse Town Cup Battle Series

* * *

**

**Part 1 - Kydran vs. Mei

* * *

**

Kydran stood in the warriors' waiting area, sitting on a stone bench and holding Pandora's bauble, dangling it in the air. The torchlight glinted off of it, giving it a warm glow. He felt something stir within him, a memory he knew he should have but didn't. It was such a little thing, this jewel in the vinework base, but it had become priceless to the boy.

Gathering the chain and the pendant together in one hand, he dropped it into one of his pockets and looked around the room at the competition. Sora was already in conversation with Leon and Hercules, Yuffie was preparing for battle, and Cloud was nowhere to be found, leaving Kydran with nobody to talk to. This being so, his thoughts were left to drift back to Pandora, who was waiting in the stands for him.

He had the first match, neither to his pleasure nor his dismay. He was to face a girl named Mei, who carried no conspicuous weaponry, unless an ornamental silver flute counted as conspicuous weaponry. He wondered whether or not he would go talk to her; she was sitting not far from his own seat, eyes shurt in meditation. His curiosity getting the better of him, the black-haired young man moved toward her.

The girl seemed so fragile, and Kydran couldn't help but feel he was looking at somebody straight out of a fairy tale. She could only have been ten or eleven years old, and she was most definitely not dressed for battle. She was dressed more for a refined tea party, a beautiful white silk and lace dress draping down from her shoulders, the color matching her fair complexion. The girl's golden-blonde hair was tied into a little bun in the back of her head by a white ribbon. She held the flute in her lap, her feet clad in small black bowtied shoes.

"Uh, hi," said Kydran, moving into conversation distance. He knew instinctively that appearances could be deceiving, and the last thing he wanted to do was offend her. "You, uh... I mean we-"

"We're in the first match. I know," she said softly, her voice soft as snow, as sweet as bee pollen. "Your name is Kydran, right?"

"That's right. And you're-"

"Mei. You possess the Heart Key, don't you?"

He would have displayed irritation at her lack of courtesy, but he was too stunned to say anything.

"How did you-"

"Know? I know a lot of things about you, Kydran. I also know you're not who you think you are."

"I don't think-"

"You don't need to speak. I can read your heart. Much is locked away from even your own eyes."

"Look, quit interrupting me!" retorted Kydran, irritated. "I don't know who you think you are or how you know about me, but-"

"We come from the same place, you and I. Perhaps your lady would know me, though I doubt it. Your lack of self-control has done much harm."

"What are you-"

"It doesn't matter," the girl responded, getting to her feet, slowly. Her eyes were still shut. "I have something to give you. Hold out your hands."

The black-haired boy wasn't sure whether to be furious, puzzled, or bewildered. He felt a little bit of each. Regardless of his emotions, he lifted his hands from his sides, holding them out.

The girl lifted her flute to her lips, eyes still closed, and began to play a soft tune. So entranced Kydran was by the song that he couldn't move, nor think, nor notice the sudden weight in his open hands. The girl's haunting melody having come to an end, she lowered the flute from her lips. Kydran couldn't tell if anybody had seen, or noticed, what had happened.

When he had regained control of himself, he glanced down at the weapon sheathed in his hands. The scabbard seemed to be made of ivory, and was ornamental in appearance. A golden dragon draged its way from the base of the sheath to the top, and the hilt itself was made of fine ivory. The handle was of black leather, tied in place with twisted gold wire, the pommel of the sword ivory, a black crystal set into the core of it.

He drew the weapon, and it sang as it made connection with the air. The sight of it was breathtaking. It moved and felt like steel, though the weapon was extremely light and perfectly balanced. The double-edged, Oriental blade itself appeared to be made of some sort of crystal, sharpened beyond a razor's keenness.

"Its name is Xinlong. Be careful with it; it has a mind of its own."

"Wha... why? Why did you-"

"It is not a gift from myself. It is a gift from one who wishes you to have it. That is all there is to know."

"Well... thanks."

"There is no need to thank me. I will see you on the battlefield. I wish you luck. You will need it."

He watched her walk away, just as the first announcement was made for the first round fighters to assume their positions in the waiting areas. He was deeply intimidated by her by the time he had sheathed the sword and begun his trek to his starting position. Could he really trust the weapon she had given him? He knew better, but also had an idea of that the Heart Key could do.

So he would use the sword a little. If all else failed, he could always switch back to the Heart Key.

Right?

* * *

Kydran learned only as he peered through the gates into the pit that he and Mei were going to do combat in the large pit. The use of a bigger arena was only at the request of one of the combatants, or if there was an obvious need. Kydran hadn't asked for the large arena, and set to wondering why Mei would need it. The fact didn't help lighten his unease. 

Despite the fact that Xinlong was strapped to his back, and that the entire purpose for having it was so he wouldn't use the Heart Key, the black-bladed keyblade was still resting in his left hand, though he had reversed his grip and held it blade-down as a precaution. He took a deep breath.

The report of horns echoed through the coliseum as they announced the beginning of his fight. The gate flew upward, and Kydran stepped out into the battlefield to a cheering crowd. Far across the arena, he saw Mei's white figure approach from the darkness of her waiting area. The gates snapped closed behind both of them.

The sun was shining down on the Arena; it was a cloudless day. Both Kydran and Mei moved, slowly, toward the center of the arena, directly in each others paths, perhaps to meet in the center. The crowd was loud, but not as loud as usual; there were far too many who had lost their home the the Darkness for a second time. Kydran hoped that the action would help to distract them from their woes, as was the intention of the Traverse Town Cup.

Kydran stopped at a comfortable distance from the girl. As he watched her, emerald eyes wary, something in his mind began to turn, tumblers began to fall into place. Adrenaline began to make its way through his veins as his body prepared for battle.

"Shall we start?" asked the girl, barely audible over the cheering onlookers.

"We started when the horns blew."

"Very well. The barriers put in place here are not strong enough to protect the crowds; for their sake, allow me to create something stronger."

His eyes narrowed. Each of the tumblers in his mind fell into place.

_Click._

She had barely begun to lift the flute up to her lips by the time Kydran had drawn the crystalline weapon and charged at her. She appeared completely oblivious to his actions; the girl blew a few practice notes into the flute.

He was approaching with lightning speed. All his thoughts were focused on her; he would fell her before she could defend herself. He knew it was the only choice he had. The sword sang as it moved through the air. He neared her. The weapon was raised, he was poised to strike-

Her first note hit him like a cannonball. His forward velocity was instantly thrown into reverse, and he was sent sprawling backwards, landing roughly on his behind and rolling backwards. Managing to somersault back onto his feet with the momentum, he froze before he could rebound. Mei had already begun her song.

Kydran could no longer hear the roaring of the crowd, he could only hear their emotions like a throbbing buzz drowned out by the sound of Mei's flute. He gritted his teeth, forcing his body forward. He took a step. All his focus was on moving ahead, going forward. Another step.

He was blown backwards against as the girl struck a deep note, one that couldn't possible have been made by any flute. His body connected with the steel gate, denting it. He dropped to the ground, releasing the sword and letting it fall to the floor, the Heart Key disappearing, his entire body aching.

Suddenly, he found he could move again. Kydran reached down and picked up his sword, only then realizing that the floor of the arena was no longer dry and dusty and warm, but rather cold and wet and covered lightly with snow. The smell of pollution and the stink of machinery was all around him. He could hear the sound of distant factories, of giant turning metal gears everywhere.

He got to his feet, and looked around himself. There was a great nothingness about him, only snow-covered, black ground as far as he could see, giving way to a sky of abyssal night. He looked for Mei, and frowned. She was nowhere to be found.

_(If there really are other worlds out there, then why did we end up here?)_

He took a step forward, listening intently. The voice, the restless memory, did not sound distant this time. His boots crunched on the thin layer of snow. He could see his breath as he exhaled.

"Mei! Show yourself!"

_(Why, Kydran? Why here?)_

The boy heard the sound of faraway music, the sound of a flute prodigy uncreating a world with her song.

_(What did we do to deserve this?)_

The ground began to rumble. He looked between his feet. The sound of a world breaking in two ripped through the air, and his eyes widened as the split in the ground jagged its way from behind him, between his feet, and straight ahead. The boy threw himself off of the crack, hearing the noise of a million shattering mirrors, watching as the ground split like glass before he could even hit the floor.

Everything fell away.

_(Don't leave me...)_

* * *

Pandora was on her feet, hands against the barrier between the inside of the arena and the outside, waves of energy rippling from her palms as the barrier reacted. Her violet eyes were filled with worry. As hard as she looked, she could see only black within the arena. One moment Kydran had charged at the girl, the next a ripple of power nearly passed through the barrier, emanating from Mei's flute. After that, as if a giant can of black paint had exploded and painted the barriers, there was only blackness walled in by the barrier, making it look like a dome of ebony.

She could hear nothing but the crowd's screams of excitement, dismay, anxiety, and fear. She had no idea what was happening to Kydran, and the thought of him in danger made her heart race.

Aerith, having found the girl leaning against the barrier, made her way down to her side. The woman looked down at the black-haired girl, concerned.

"Aerith, what's happening? Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. The girl's flute is doing this, I think. I've never seen anything like it. She's cut both herself and Kydran off from us completely. I can't sense either of them, and that's not the barrier's doing."

"What are you saying?"

"Neither of them are here anymore. It's some kind of large-scale portal, I think. Either that, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or Mei can use the flute to shape reality, at least within the range of her flute. If you look down on the far end of the arena, you can see the edge of the globe. It's-"

"It's impossible! We've got to do something!"

" We can't. No interference, it's in the tournement rules. Besides, I don't think they allow killing in this arena."

"What are you talkin' about, lady?" interrupted a rather tubby-looking man standing behind them. "Of course they allow killin'. It's in the rules! What kinda tournament would it be without some killin'?"

Aerith blanched.

"Can he-"

"Kydran can do anything. I know it," retorted Pandora before Aerith had even begun the sentence. "We just have to have some faith. He'll pull through. He's smarter than some flute-playing little girl, whether she can alter reality or not."

"I hope so..."

"Look!"

Pandora slammed both hands on the barrier, eyes focused on the inside of the arena.

The walls of black shattered, fell away, leaving them with only the victor.

* * *

"_I warned you, little Nobody. I warned you not to do this._"

"Master... I was only-"

"_You have grown a mind of your own now, have you? You believe yourself wise enough to to understand my intentions?_"

Mei was sweating. Her eyes, irises silver, were fearful.

"You don't understand! Please, listen! If he remembered just a little, then maybe-"

"_Then maybe he would remember it all, and all of my careful planning would have been wasted. We walk a thin line, little Nobody. You have overstepped your bounds._"

"No! You can't mean it!"

The black figure before the girl began to step away, black raincoat flowing as though within water, his voice echoing in her mind a million times, the meaning registering but bearing only the voice of the black-haired boy, Kydran, the seeker of Darkness, and Knives.

"_Break this world apart, forfeit this battle, make them believe he has won. You have outlived your usefulness._"

The girl's innocent demeanor shifted instantly to an intense fury.

"And if I don't? I could trap you in here, too. I could do what I wanted with you."

"_Do you honestly believe that doing so would not result in your destruction? I brought you back, reflected the memory of you back into the Kingdom. I can undo you with equal ease. Do as I say, and I will consider not sending you back into the broken realm."_

Mei was silent. Her gaze was locked on the ground. She did not bother to watch the enigmatic man turn and fade away, disappear from her alternate reality. Sniffing and wiping the tears beginning to well up in her eyes away, she lifted the flute from her lips, and began to play.

* * *

The walls fell away like shattered glass, the pieces falling to the ground, shifting into patches of white fabric before fading away.

There, in the center of the arena, Kydran stood with his crystal sword to the girl's neck. A small trickle of blood ran from the minor incision, a mere papercut. The black-haired boy's breath was coming in heaves, as though he had just finished with the greatest fight of his left.

The girl lowered her head, acknowledging defeat.

The crowd cheered.


	8. LF TTCBS 2

**Lost Fragments** - **The Traverse Town Cup Battle Series

* * *

**

**Part 2 - Lilka vs. Reverend

* * *

**

Lilka Eleniak watched as Kydran and Mei returned from the arena, the both of them walking solemnly back into the waiting area with the other fighters. She felt concerned, having seen the battle take place, and was veyr curious as to how the battle had actually taken place. All anybody knew was that the black-haired boy was victorious.

What bothered the Crest Sorceress the most about the girl was how distant her eyes were. Lilka hadn't paid much attention to her previous to the fight, so she wouldn't know if her eyes had been glazed-over and foggy to begin with, but she felt as though Mei had retreated into her own little world.

Lilka's gaze moved down to her cupped hands, which lay in her lap. In her hands lay a small glittering gem, purple in hue, which pulsed softly. It was one of few things that Lilka had brought with her from Fargaia, and it afforded her a little peace of mind.

As the Crest Sorceress looked back up to see Mei go out the door, she froze. Her jaw fell open. The little girl was no longer a little girl; a monster, thin and white and vaguely humanoid, contorted and spasmed just before the doorway. Its fingers were elongated, hands stretching out like knives, all the fingers bound to each other with blue leather and rivets. Lilka could only see the back of the monster's body, and while it seemed like the head was covered in some sort of white hood, she couldn't tell.

Lilka blinked. Mei stood on the threshold of the doorway.

The flute-player left the Coliseum in defeat.

The brown-haired girl got to her feet and looked for Kydran. He had returned to the seat he had occupied previous to his fight. Lilka meandered over and sat down next to him, doing so while slipping the purple gem back into a pocket of her robe.

"So, uh... you won your first fight, huh? Happy to be moving to the second round?" initiated Lilka, a little shyly. "You, um... how did you do it? What happened?"

The boy leaned back, placing his back against the marble walls. He had his crystal sword standing up beside the stone bench, and his other weapon (Lilka had no idea what it was) was not there, either. The young man took a deep breath, and watched Mei's figure disappear through the doorway.

"I think... I think that she drew me into another world. After that, it's all just a blank. I hear shattering glass, wake up, and... I've won."

"Wow. So you know about as much as the rest of us, huh?"

"That's about right."

"Oh..."

Lilka, left with only an awkward silence, was grateful that the next match was announced. Her fight would take place in the large arena also, primarily because it would be a battle of two mages. Her opponent, Reverend, as far as she knew, was some kind of mage, though she didn't know just what kind.

The Crest Sorceress lifted herself up, gave Kydran a wink (which he returned with a half-hearted smile) and made way toward the waiting area.

* * *

His boots sank into the dust of the arena, sending the fine grains into the air with each step he took. The man's opponent awaited him on the other end of the Arena, watching him like a rabbit watches an approaching predator. The sun shone brightly over the Arena, a noon-time sun, though all the heat had left the pit as soon as he had entered. He stopped about ten paces outside of the gate, as the girl had.

Reverend smiled.

The dementist knew the girl had no idea what to think of him. He was imposing to say the least, standing over six feet tall. He wore a black pair of pants, a black coat with a white band in the front of the collar, a pair of sunglasses and a wide-brimmed black hat that kept his entire body protected from the noon-day sun. In one of his hands rested a small book, a book that was very important to him.

He stood there.

The girl sank into a defensive casting stance.

The horn blew, signifying the beginning of the match.

Reverend lifted his little book up, opened it, flipped through the pages, and began reading. His world began to shift as the words fell into place, as the letters and characters in the book shifted, roiled, molded and juxtaposed with each other.

Neither of them moved for a long time. He stood there, reading, but doing so much more than that. Yes, the more time she wasted trying to study him with whatever feeble little faculties she had, the more time he had to enter his trance. Behind the sunglasses, his eyes turned from their normal blue color to an abyssal black. The black spread from his irises, creeping out like ink until both of his eyes were mere voids in his eyesockets.

She knew something was wrong. It didn't matter, she had wasted too much time. Her fingers danced through the air as her arm extended forward. He saw the arcane energies pulled, like so much wire, into the shape of a magical crest. She aimed at him.

His lips parted into a grin.

The girl released the power built into the crest. A column of fire erupted toward him.

There was a burst of dark smoke.

Lilka was in the process of drawing another spell into then air before she realized that despite the force of the flame she had blasted at the man, he was still standing.

And the smoke was grinning at her.

The gigantic maw leapt from the depths of the black haze. It was set within a gigantic, malformed head, which was vaguely equine in form. The head was attached to what seemed to be the torso of a hairless cave bat, wings sprouting from its back. The torso terminated into a long, vicious-looking scorpion tail, the stinger of which was already pointed straight at the Crest Sorceress.

The strands of blue energy that the girl had brought into a spell wavered as the shock of having a terrifying abomination some out of nothing and attacking her as though its entire existence was bent on her destruction. Still, her nerve remained intact, and the spell solidified and was completed only in time to be released.

The from the circle surrounding the sigil she had weaved into the air leapt a spray of jagged lightning, each bolt forking outward like raptors' claws and seizing the monster. It froze in mid-flight, struggling against the bolts that held it. Leaving the crest magic to do its work, Lilka turned her focus on the man who had somehow pulled the monster out of nowhere.

She felt a tug on the inside of her mind, distracting her from drawing the magic into the protective spell she had planned on casting. Was it the monster? She turned and saw the abomination struggling against the crest, nearly having broken free, but knew that couldn't have been it. She looked back to where her foe had once been standing.

He wasn't there.

The crowd, the entirety of which was riveted to their seats, gasped. The man was no longer in the Arena. Lilka decided to take the opportunity to create her protective spell. Her hands whipped through the air as she practically crocheted a spell into existence.

Then he was there.

And he wasn't alone.

The Crest Sorceress's spell broke apart instantly and she stumbled back as though struck, the breath catching in her chest. Her feet lost their traction on the ground and she fell back, eyes wide, heart pounding.

A monster that she knew couldn't exist loomed over her. Its shape seemed to be constantly shifting, although within moments it solidified somehow, for some reason. The beast looked exactly like what she was most afraid of. Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

She never really ever saw the monster, not since she was younger, at least, but it had always been there, hidden beneath layers of time and thought. It was the monster that she had always imagined had taken her sister away when she was little, the monster that had somehow been able to overcome Lilka's best friend and idol and take her away forever.

The beast descended on her.


	9. Amnesia

**

* * *

Chapter 7 - ****Amnesia

* * *

**

Sora looked back ahead, smiling broadly.

_Guys, let's go!_

Pluto was losing ground, and quickly. Sora's legs pumped, his breathing even. He was focused on catching that silly mutt bearing the letter from the King. Well, he assumed it was from the King. It had the King's seal on it, after all.

Donald and Goofy simply couldn't keep up. The duck's webbed feet weren't built for running, and the leader of the Disney Kingdom knights was, well, clumsy to say the least. Goofy had let out his silly 'wa-hoo', like a war cry, and they gave pursuit.

Sora was getting closer... closer... the tail of the dog was within his grasp...

Pluto stopped abruptly. Sora tripped over him, and went flying forward, crashing to the ground. The Keyblade Master's companions caught up. Sora groaned, holding his head. He had bumped his head pretty hard; he felt dizzy. He opened his eyes. Not for the first time, the King's dog was looking him straight in the eyes.

The boy in the red jumpsuit was then assaulted by Pluto's tongue, was given a solid bath before Donald picked up the slobbered-on letter that Pluto had dropped. Then the duck opened it.

Sora's heartwarming, belly-busting laughter was broken by a cry from Donald.

"WHAT!" exclaimed the court mage, slapping his feathery forehead. Sora found it hard to take him seriously, though. He sounded really funny when he talked. "The King wants us to leave! We can't! How could something go wrong?"

"Uh, let me see that there letter, Donald," requested Goofy, who was given the letter. His large eyes scanned over it. "Whoa! I don't quite understand it. It thought he told us to _protect_ the Keyblade Master. And how are they going to get out...?"

Sora picked himself up, wiping the last of the saliva from his face. He moved over to Goofy, and the knight handed him the letter. He looked over it, his optimistic expression fading slowly into puzzlement as he did so.

_Dear Sora and Company,_

_Howarya? I hope you get this, Pluto can be pretty wily. I hate to bring bad news, but I have some, and you gotta know. Wherever it is you guys ended up, something went wrong. We sealed Kingdom Hearts alright, but something was able to escape. We don't know how. I still have the other Keyblade, but I get the feeling it won't do any good over here. Plans have changed. Tell Donald and Goofy to return to Disney Kingdom. I don't know where you guys are, but they have to return as soon as possible. It may be in danger. Sora, don't stop looking for the Door! Don't lose sight of your goal! Your heart is the strongest weapon we have. I'll let Riku write now, but always keep in mind: look out for the men in the black coats! I don't know who they are or what they want, but they're bad news! I think they're linked somehow to the return of the Darkness, or its survival._

Sora's stomach churned. Something going wrong? Something escaping? And now, Donald and Goofy leaving him all alone? He read on. The handwriting had changed from the round, neat style he had attributed to the King's to Riku's sharp, jagged handwriting.

_Sora- I'm coming. We'll find a way. Keep looking for the Door, and don't worry about Kairi. Do not stop looking. Take care of yourself. I'll see you again. Remember, the closer you get to the Light, the greater your shadow becomes._

It was signed "Riku", and above that was the King's seal. Sora looked gravely to his friends. Goofy looked like he was about to burst into tears. Donald was visibly angered.

"I don't want to leave Sora all alone out here. We don't even know where we are," stated Goofy.

"Phooey. If the King says we split up, we split up. Sora can handle himself," responded the duck with folded arms, though he didn't sound too sure of himself.

"Guys," began Sora, looking at the ground, in hard thought. "The King has never let us down. If he didn't think I could do it, or that you guys couldn't come back, he wouldn't have told us to do that stuff. I can take care of myself. You guys are in my heart; I won't forget you, but you have a job to do!"

The other three, Pluto included, exchanged glances. Donald dropped his arms, and nodded, smiling.

"You're right. But let's hurry, the King said our home could be in danger!"

"A-hyuk! Alright, then, let's get movin'! Sora, we'll see ya later!"

Sora waved, smiling, and watched them turn back around. They followed the path back the way they came. Pluto gave the Keyblade Master one last look, and then trotted behind Donald and Goofy.

Sora looked back down at the letter. _I'm coming._ The thought of Riku not being locked forever in the Kingdom Hearts, in the dark, encouraged him. He was strong enough. He _had_ defeated Sephiroth, among the greatest warriors in existence, in a one-on-one bout. He had even held his own against-

Against what? He traced back through his memories, alarmed suddenly because he could not recall. Like the memory had literally been pulled from his head, and now there was only a gap, a hole to show for it. He frowned, took a deep breath, and calmed himself. He would deal with that later. He had to focus on his mission. Find that Door.

As the other three disappeared over a hill, Sora turned on his heel and started down the path. Where was he, exactly? He hadn't even heard of a world like this before. It was lush, green, and beautiful, but it was also endless. It seemed to go on forever, as far as the eye could see and even farther. Just this one road. The one path they had walked on for so long. Where did it lead, exactly?

These were his thoughts as he walked.

And he walked.

And he walked.

He walked until that bright, amiable sun was setting over the horizon. He walked until dusk fell over the open road and the stars, all of them having been restored to their places in the sky. He walked until it was deep into the night.

He was exhausted from walking, but ahead he could see something. Something other than just path. Well, it was still path, but how he was at a _crossroads_. He pushed forward, approached the center of this crossroads, and stood.

No sign was posted to give directions. He couldn't see anything in any direction except for long, long roads. Four of them.

Sora looked up into the sky. None of the stars above could help him. There was only the choice: Move ahead, turn left, turn right, or turn back. He wasn't going to turn back. Never. So, he was left with three choices.

"_I told you we would meet again_."

Startled, the boy whipped around in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, the memory slid right back, like a puzzle piece, into its proper place. It wasn't any one voice; it was a combination of voices. He felt as though he was hearing Riku, Kairi, Leon, Donald, Goofy, and so many other people's voices, all speaking at once, perfectly synchronized. He had heard the voice before. In Hollow Bastion.

"You!"

The figure stood before him, more like a silhouette than a real person. Sora could never tell if he was truly human or not, but he was definitely masculine in stature. Gloved hands extended from the flared sleeves of the enigmatic man's raincoat. The hood was still pulled over his facial features, giving the boy no clue as to who he was or what he looked like. There was only that same _nostalgic_, uneasy feeling he got when he was so much as around this being.

"_I know what you are looking for_."

_Look out for the man in the black coat!_

"The Door to the Light. What is this place?"

"_A crossroads_."

At this, Sora's surprised expression turned into a glare. He knew this was a crossroads! He wasn't dumb! Who was this guy to condescend him!

"_You stand at a crossroads, but you don't know where you are going. Or why. Only that you must find the Door, some way. Somehow_."

"Well, are you going to help me or just stand there?"

"_You will find what you are looking for. But in exchange, you must give something up. Something very important to you_."

Then, something welled up within Sora: horror. He knew what the man was hinting at. What the man had said had confirmed something he had mulled over, a thought that had popped up on occasion but that he had never given any real thought to. The fact that he could not have both: Riku and Kairi, and the Door to the Light. That he would have to decide between his destiny and his friends.

But King Mickey had also told him not to trust the coated one. Right?

"How do you know?"

"_To find the Door, that is the path you must take_," spoke the voice, which originated from the man in black. He raised a finger to point down the left path. He could see a faint orange glow in the distance, a twilight glow. Then the enigmatic man pointed to the right. "_To find your friends, that is the path you must take._"

Sora watched the dark figure as his arm lowered, and then shook his head.

"How can I trust you?"

He received no response. Sora turned around, looked left, and then looked right. His arms folded across his chest, and he considered. But Mickey words came back to him: _Look out for the man in the black coat._

He then walked straight ahead, neither turning left nor right. He had no way to trust this man, so he wouldn't. But then the black-clad figure said something that Sora would never forget.

"_The more important something is to you, the deeper in your heart you keep it until eventually it becomes forgotten._"

"What are you talking about?"

"_This is not only the nature of Darkness."_

"This is the nature of all things..."

The words that came out of his mouth had not been brought there consciously. It was just an understanding. As if the enigmatic man was telling him something he already knew. Sora turned to say something, but the figure was gone. He frowned, looked once more at the left and right paths, and then turned back around and proceeded forward.

* * *

How Sora had the energy to keep walking, he had no clue. He hadn't even been thinking. All his thoughts had fled from him, and he only trudged on, his mind a blank slate. Regardless, he walked. And walked. And walked. 

He must have slept while he had walked, or maybe he had only dreamed he had been walking. Either way, the next he realized it, an eternity had passed, or at least it felt that way. The air was a little colder. The grassy fields had gone away. He was marching along a snow-lined path, an stony walkway leading to...

A castle. A huge castle. He finally stopped walking, though he didn't feel tired anymore. He looked behind him. Not far back, the path tapered off into a simple, single termination. The road was just... gone.

Sora looked back to the castle, and continued on, stangely intrigued by it. The fact that he could not go back did not bother him. He couldn't remember where he was supposed to go back to. He figured he had just awakened, and that this castle was his home. Something in the back of his head informed him, vaguely, that it was not, but even that voice had disappeared completely now.

The castle was close. He could see the detailing on the large front gate, how... strange the castle was. Some towers were upside-down, others poked horizontally from the walls of the fortress. The oddness of it struck Sora as unnatural. Then he felt something.

This something had a tempo. He felt it in his body, the way one would feel a deep bass tone moving through one's body. A sound filled his ears; it was the sound of a heartbeat. A heartbeat that was not beating in sync with his own, but still in sync, perfectly opposite his own. He turned around, and looked up.

A star was falling.

At least, he thought so until the 'star' grew closer. He could then make out the shape of a body. Then, he could see that it really was a body- a body engulfed in white fire, like he imagined a meteor would be. The figure was traveling in a trajectory that would carry him straight into Sora.

He was not sure why (again, he wasn't thinking), but instead of diving out of the way, he opened his arms wide. Leaned forward, braced himself. Prepared to catch the shooting star.

What happened then was something he felt he had experienced before, eons and eons ago. Something that he had forgotten, that was not in his memory anymore but the connection was still there.

The figure flew _through_ him.

An immense wave of cold burst through his body, and the heartbeats (he could only assume they were his and the new arrival's) slowed to a dull hum. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, looking up into the dark, clouded sky. He rolled over onto his stomach, picked himself up, and looked around. Had what just happened been... real?

Or not?

He turned back towards the castle, and ahead of him, in the snow, there was a boy lying on the ground. His clothes were ragged, like he had been living on the street all of his life. Was he okay? Sora intended to find out, sprinting toward the boy and skidding to a stop nearby him.

A mane of black. A pale complexion. He appeared malnourished, unhealthy. His face was covered with grime and soot. He sported no shoes, only a tattered pair of jeans and a thin tank top. The smell of smog and steel about the boy was almost overwhelming. The boy was still breathing.

In a moment, his eyes opened. Bright green eyes, eyes that simply did not match the rest of his attire. The young man on the ground would prop himself up on an elbow and place a hand to his forehead.

"Hey, are you okay?" questioned Sora, amazed that the other was not obliterated by that fall.

"I... guess?"

The boy surveyed the area around him, and stood slowly, wincing.

"I've got a **major** headache," stated the new boy, who was now beholding Sora. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"I'm Sora, and I don't know where we are. I think I live here... what's your name?"

"My... name?"

_(I dont have a name anymore)_

"Yeah. You know, what other people call you," affirmed Sora, grinning.

_(one name it should be my own)_

"Oh, yeah... it's..."

_(I think you know)_

"My name's Kydran."

"Alright! What do you say we go check out that castle? Figure out what's up?"

Kydran looked around, wondering if there was really any alternative. Finding none, he turned back to Sora and nodded.

"Sure."

"Cool!"

The snow atop the path was not very deep, two inches at most, but it did not make traversing to the castle any less precarious. He glanced over the edge of the narrow walkway, and saw only a thick gray fog.

"You said you lived here?" asked Kydran, looking back to his new traveling companion.

"I think I do. Unless I just... woke up here."

"You mean you can't remember anything? Amnesia?"

"I guess. When I try to remember something, all I come up with is a blank, at least up until remembering I was here instead of... wherever I was at. Maybe I don't live here..."

"You got me. I think we'll find some answers in that castle, though. Or at least a place to stay."

Sora was quiet. The more time that progressed, the more he thought about his situation, the more unnerved he was feeling. How could he have just suddenly forgotten where he lived, if this was where he lived? And how could he suddenly forget how he had gotten here, and everything before that? It made no sense. He remembered how to talk, and things seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't _recall_ anything.

They stepped up to the door to the castle. The archway was huge, which was something they expected, but it was also very simple. Sora extended a gloved hand and rapped loudly upon the wooden gates. They were greeted with silence. Sora, frowning, reared a foot back.

"You know, I really don't think we should-" Kydran tried to protest.

Sora kicked the door. Hard.

This time, the pair heard something whirring, humming, clinking and clanking. The door vibrated. The humming got louder and louder, until one had to scream to make himself heard over the din- and then the door cracked open. Kydran slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Look, the next time you feel the need to kick a door that's four times our combined sizes, just... don't."

Sora only grinned lopsidedly, and sallied forth. The raven-maned young man followed behind. Gasps of awe followed.

The antechamber was magnificent. Kydran had found it very strange that no light had escaped the cracked doorway, and yet as he stepped over the threshold, he realized the entire room was lit brightly. The chamber was circular, with a magnificent marble design in the floor. High above them the ceiling domed, forming a complex and immense mural. Sora moved a little further in, examining the pair of curved staircases on either side of them. Straight ahead, there was another pair of huge doors. This door was overhanged by a balcony, and this balcony led to another, smaller doorway and two hallway entries on either side.

Kydran looked upward, taking in the mural. Sora immediately began traipsing along the ivory-railed stairs, ignoring it entirely.

In the center of the mural, what everything in it seemed to revolve around, was a large heart. It was beautiful and crystalline, splashes of white flowing about it. All around it were various scenes: A metropolitan cityscape, from the center of which rose a silver spire; a beautiful beach, upon which children played; a cozy-looking town in the depth of night, loomed over by a massive, terrifying shadow; a gargantuan doorway, surrounded by a black heart-shape molded by fog. The number of little pictures was astounding, and the detail was incredible.

Sora was already up on the balcony, and stood before the doorway on the second floor. Kydran bounded up the stairway, to catch up, and moved to Sora's side, his expression still one of awe.

"I wonder who lives here? Castles don't just exist for nothing," observed Kydran, who had moved away from Sora and was now looking down the right hallway. He couldn't see anything except darkness beyond where the light could no longer illuminate. He proceeded to the other hallway.

"Something tells me it's just us, Kydran," replied Sora. His arms were folded, and he was clearly mulling their situation over. "Man, you smell bad! I hope they have a bath here."

The other boy shrugged, and looked down the second hallway. The same thing, except he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, as if something terrible was waiting for him further down that hall. He turned back to Sora.

"Can't help it if I stink. I say we go down the right hallway, this one gives me the creeps."

"If you say so. Let's go."

The hallway was not very wide, so Kydran had to follow behind Sora. The both of them were beginning to notice a theme; when they entered one area, all the others darkened. Suddenly the hallway was illuminated, while the antechamber's light was extinguished.

They now stood in a bright corridor, the walls of which were ramshackle and wooden. From between the cracks of the boards, they could see bright blue sky and rolling blue waves. The smell of a sea breeze reached Kydran's ears. While this soothed Sora, it was entirely unfamiliar to the ragamuffin, who was yet intrigued by it.

"That is **really** weird," said Kydran, who had moved to one of the spaces in between boards to peek through. He could see a beach and palm trees below; the sun was shining brightly.

"Weird, but I like it. Let's keep going," urged Sora, and so they continued forward.

The boards beneath their feet creaked. Although this kind of place was new to Kydran, he found that he enjoyed it. He felt safe, that nothing could go wrong. The two of them reached the end of the corridor, and it terminated into a simple, makeshift doorway, like one that you would see on a childrens' treehouse.

Sora pushed the door open, and entered. This was followed by a cry of "Kydran! Where'd you go?", to which the other boy responded by entering the room.

"There you are. It's gonna take me a little while to get used to that... disappearing thing when you leave a room. This is a really strange place. But look! It's a room!"

Kydran couldn't argue that. It was, indeed, a room. Neither of them realized it, but the room they were standing in was a perfect copy of the one Sora had left behind on Destiny Islands.

The smell of the sea was replaced by the smell of Sora. The boy in the red jumpsuit bounded toward the bed, his bed, and threw himself onto it, bouncing up and down a couple times. Kydran leaned in the doorway; the breeze was gone. The noise of the beach was muffled, but out the window Kydran could still see the sky.

"Wow! I got dibs on the bed!" called Sora, and the other boy shook his head.

"No way. My bed. If anything, the stupid bed's big enough for both of us."

"Like I'm gonna share with you! My mom told me never to sleep with strangers. I think."

"Gimme a break. It's not like I have chicken pox or anything."

"Yeah, but you smell."

"I take offense to that!"

"Good! My bed!"

At this, Kydran reached down and picked up a large teddy bear which had been dropped on the ground and chucked it across the room, targeting Sora's head. At this, Sora dodged expertly and snatched up one of the pillows at the head of the bed and returned fire.

The black-haired boy scooped up the thrown pillow and charged.

"No! Get your greasy hands off my pillow you- MMPH!"

Sora's protest had been interrupted by a solid blow from the pillow. Not to be outdone, Sora grabbed the only other pillow on the bed and launched himself at Kydran.

* * *

The figure in the black hooded raincoat stood at the end of the hall, in the black realm that was the true material the castle had been constructed from. The sound of the boys' laughter rung in his ears. If one could see his face, he would have been smiling. 

They were irrevocably trapped.


	10. Gallery

**

* * *

Chapter 8 - ****Gallery

* * *

**

Kydran woke up. He did not open his eyes yet, but instead observed with his other senses everything around him. The warm sunlight coming in through the window. The sound of Sora's rhythmic breathing. The sound of a seagull outside. His eyes opened.

_I've died and gone to heaven_, he thought vaguely, and observed Sora. What a bed-hog. The brown-haired kid had consumed almost all of the bed, which hadn't really bothered Kydran, who had slept in the fetal position, curled up at the end of the bed. But it wouldn't make it easy to get out of the bed without waking the Sora up.

Oh well.

Kydran kicked his feet out, hard. Sora yelped, startled out of his slumber, and fell out of the bed. Kydran leapt from the bed and over to the doorway before Sora realized what hit him.

He turned and leaned casually against the door. Sora looked about, wildly, and spotted the smelly, sooty, but well-rested, young man. Kydran had dug some clothes out of Sora's closet, and was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a white t-shirt. While the boy's face was still gray with ash and he reeked of steel and coal, the clean clothes helped a lot.

"It's about time you got up. We need to find some food, and I don't even know where the kitchen is. We might starve."

Sora rubbed his head, having bumped it on the way down. He stood, and groaned.

"I had a dream that this giant foot came down and kicked me. My butt hurts, too..."

"Sorry to hear that. Hurry up, I'm starving, and we have a lot of ground to cover."

Kydran was surprised to find that Sora's hair was untouched. No bed-head, but Sora's chosen hairstyle had struck him as looking like a constant bed-head.

Sora got to his feet, brushed himself off, and headed toward the door. Kydran stepped aside, and Sora pressed on. Kydran followed behind. Back through the shack-esque hallway they went, stepping into the darkness which became the antechamber.

Sora immediately moved left, toward the pair of doors in the middle of the balcony. Everything seemed nicely symmetrical in this vast room; a hallway to the left and to the right of the middle doors, larger doors below the door on the upper floor in the balcony. This did not bother Kydran, but it had occurred to him. There was a definite duality to this place, and he found it strangely comforting.

The bed-headed boy pushed open the twin doors, and entered into a large hall. A dining hall.

It was more like a cathedral than a hall. Gleaming suits of armor lined the way up and down the hall, stained-glass windows highlighted the golden room. In the middle of this immense dining hall was a long table, at which countless chairs were placed. At the table-head closest to them, and at the seat next to it, sat two huge plates of pancakes.

"Well, that was convenient," commented Kydran as he entered the hall.

It took Sora about a split-second to go from Kydran's side and into the tall-backed chair at the head of the table. He immediately proceeded to munch. Kydran followed behind, though under much more control, and slid into the only other seat with food upon it. He chowed as well.

After Sora had finished his first plate and was gathering more onto the already-syrupy dish, he initiated conversation.

"Kydran... it's like we're kings here. Really, if you think about it. I don't think there's anyone else here! It's like this place was made for us!"

Kydran forked another pancake into his mouth.

"We haven't even begun to explore the castle. I wouldn't make any assumptions yet."

"Aw, come on! The door opens right up. We have a great room and a huge bed. Now we even got pancakes! What more could you ask for?"

"...I'd ask for my memory back, for one."

At these words, Sora put his fork down and stared at his plate. Had he forgotten? How could he? What had he forgotten?

"Yeah. Our memories..."

"That's what worries me. Not so much finding somebody else here, but the fact that neither of us can recall anything before this place. It seems fishy to me."

"You're right. I feel like I should remember something. Anything. But I can't. It was like being born again here. I can't even remember my mom's name."

"I had a hard enough time remembering my own name. I say when we finish breakfast, assuming it's not laced with arsenic or anything, we explore as much of the castle as we can. I want some answers already."

"Okay. Food first, exploring later! I like the sound of that!" stated Sora, who was then digging into his pancakes with much vigor.

Kydran continued to eat, slowly. thoughtfully.

After Sora had polished off three stacks of pancakes, and Kydran his one, the brown-haired boy stood up. Sora rapped on his chest with a fist, and released a belch powerful enough to make Kydran fall out of his seat- which he did.

The black-haired boy picked himself up, using the table as a support, and looked at Sora in disbelief. They looked at each other for a moment, and then burst into peals of laughter. The sound of their laughter, simple and clean, echoed through the dining hall.

* * *

The hallways were all immense. It was not like traveling down the corridor to Sora's room, where it was comfortable. These hallways were the kind you could get lost in. They were strikingly gorgeous, most of them created from what seemed to be purest ivory. Alabaster. Blinding white, perfectly clean. Untouched. 

The pair had seen neither hide nor hair of any other presence in the castle. They only wandered, like great explorers, through uncharted territory.

Their 'travels' carried them, finally, to what seemed to be close to the center of the castle. They could each make out tired sunlight through the stained glass windows in the hallways. Ahead, a pair of doors stood. Instead of knockers, this gate had large handles- each shaped like a star. Kydran gave Sora an affirmative nod, and then they entered the room.

It was large, though how large yet they did not know. The Gallery, as they would soon refer to it, was a two-story, domed complex, a maze of walls from which paintings or photos or sculptures were hung or framed or encased in. The Gallery was circular, and the walls outside of the entry were all glass, clear and crystalline. Directly ahead of them, if the walls of pictures weren't in the way, they would be able to see Castle Oblivion's gardens.

Sora was awestruck, unable to venture forward, still taking the place in while Kydran moved ahead to examine a few of the pictures.

The first he encountered was a masterful painting of a beach. The sun was setting. A girl, apparently a few years younger than Sora (about nine or ten) stood there, looking out onto the gorgeous orange ocean. Her arms were placed shyly behind her back, a heel turned outward. Her hair, a deep maroon-red, was tousled by the breeze. Kydran could have sworn he felt the breeze, too. He could almost see her hair move, as if on its own. Alive.

Sora was entirely entranced by the beauty of it. He was almost unable to pull himself away. Kydran had not noticed him approach, he was so held by the picture, but managed to pull Sora away from it.

"This is... incredible..." muttered Sora.

"I agree."

The next painting was one of a cave, small and dark cave. The picture faced a wooden doorway, installed in the rock itself, laced with intricate gold etchings surrounding the shape of a keyhole. All along the walls of the cave, on the boulders, on anything that could be used as a writing surface, were stone etchings, drawings scraped there by unpracticed young hands. Kydran moved to the next work of art, a sculpture.

This piece was actually marked; on the base of the black marble, it was titled "Rival". His gaze raised from the base, and he took in the sculpture.

The statue was male; a pair of denim jeans, covered by a pair of balloon pants, tied at the ankles. A skin-tight yellow shirt with black straps, well-muscled arms, a gaze that seemed mystifying and intense, hinting at the enigmas of adulthood in the eyes of a mere child. Of course, Riku would argue that he wasn't a child, if he had been there.

This statue carried in its right hand a gold-and-silver weapon, created of the two precious metals. It was in the shape of a key; a golden hilt, a lapis band about the base of the blade. The blade itself was silver, extending from the base and terminating into a set of teeth with a crown-relief cut out of it.

The Kingdom Key.

Again, Kydran was forced to move Sora along.

The sheer number of different artworks was astounding. Kydran felt he could spend all day on the first floor alone. He probably would.

Pictures of beachscapes, children playing, sunny days. These had an entire section devoted to them. After a long period of examining that part of the gallery, they pressed on, into an area over which hung a sign which read "Change".

Among the first paintings was a depiction of the same beaches he had seen so many times, except this time in a dark storm. Scene after scene, the story played out: the death of the beach-world.

The strangest quality of the pictures was that they were all first-person views. Not eagle's-eye views, no abstract qualities. They were more like photographs, and very realistic ones at that, despite the entrancing nature of the shots.

So many more followed. From section to section, picture to picture to sculpture to sculpture. They were shown serene shots of a warm, inviting, nighttime town. A man wielding a gun-sword hybrid. Black creatures overrunning all things. Seascapes, a gothic nightmare town, an immense and beautiful mechanical castle.

Neither Kydran nor Sora had any idea how much time had passed since they began their adventure into the gallery. When they reached the end of the first section, they had followed the 'story' to scenes of a world which was not really a world, but rather a convergence of all the links between worlds. It was titled "The End of the World".

Sora's arms folded. They had covered almost the entire first floor. Or, at least, four-fifths of it. They had an entire second floor to cover as well, but the sun was growing low in the sky (or so it appeared; was it really a sun?).

"You're following the story too, right, Sora? It's incredible. A big-time adventure."

"I'm following it, but I don't understand it. If this is really a story, who's telling it? Why?"

"I'm sure we'll find out. Maybe on the second floor... but I don't want to go up there today. We have so much exploring to do, and we've spent the entire day looking at pictures," claimed Kydran, sounding somewhat displeased.

"We'll leave the rest of the gallery for tomorrow, then."

The domed gallery had two entrances; the one through which they had entered, and another on the opposite side. It was through the latter that they now exited. The archway was wooden, simple and elegant, paned with clear glass. They entered into a beautiful garden.

What struck Kydran as odd was how snowy and icy it was outside the castle, but here the sun seemed to peek out of the cloud-cover perfectly, smiling upon the lush botanical garden the two of them now traversed.

There were shrubberies pruned into statue-like designs, patches of almost any sort of flower one could imagine, and in the center of the circular courtyard within the gardens was a large fountain. This fountain was of a gold-veined marble, and around the well of it were sculpted various symbols. A strange, three-solid-circle emblem that reminded Sora of a mouse-head. Another a star-shape, another a crown-shape, a heart, a butterfly, a book, a bird-like creature, a rose, and many others. There was an array of key-shaped weapons, standing on end, two-storied, from the center of which spouted the pristine waters.

Kydran was a lot less interested in this garden than Sora.

"Wow. We're in the center of the castle, Kydran. Everything else is around this garden. Man, we still have a lot of ground to cover."

"Sure enough," responded Kydran, who had occupied himself with harassing a caterpillar which had meandered onto the fountain upon which Kydran now sat.

"I say we split up. Meet back at the dining room, maybe, in couple hours."

"I say I don't like that idea."

"Why not? We'll cover a lot of ground! We'll meet back, and-"

"And that's if we know the way back. Not to mention we have no way of telling time," interrupted Kydran, standing. "If we get lost together, at least we can put our heads together. And who knows what else is out there?"

"I think it's a good idea."

"I don't," stated Kydran once again, flatly, folding his arms and shaking his head to reinforce his statement.

Sora glared at the ragged kid. He hadn't even taken a shower yet- the smell of machinery and smog was still thick about him. His hair was still ratty and greasy. Who was he to tell him what was and what wasn't a good idea!

"I'm gonna go explore, and I don't need you to come with me!" exclaimed the Keyblade Master, followed by a swift turn. He walked away.

Now Kydran, who had been calm up to that point, was glaring.

"Fine, be like that. I see how you are. But don't think I'm gonna go looking for you."

Sora was still storming away, back toward the Gallery.

"Good! I will! And I'm not gonna let you use my bed again, either!"

Sora was gone. Kydran was left feeling offended, indignint, and in a way he couldn't quite place, a little hurt. Sora wasn't supposed to act like that; that much Kydran had been able to observe. Then again, it could be just hormonal imbalances.

"I was only trying to help," muttered Kydran, standing, now alone in the Gardens. He wanted, felt the need, to follow Sora, but something tugged at the back of his mind, like the way the wind would tell you not to enter a dark forest. His brow furrowed, and he turned to meander the gardens, and stopped suddenly.

"_He left you_."

Kydran now found himself faced with a very imposing figure. A dark hood concealed all facial features, even in the bright sunlight in the Gardens, where it was always springtime. A robe, of a heavy black cloth, adorned this obviously male being. The robe was form-fitting on the chest, the sleeves belled out at the ends, the tail of this raincoat-like garb swayed, affected by a non-existent wind. No skin was revealed; even the hands were covered in ebony leather.

The voice was not only one voice, but an amalgamation of many voices that were unfamiliar to the boy, one of which was Sora's.

"Who are you...? What are you doing here? Do you live here?"

The hood was banked toward Kydran, indicating that this man was looking directly at him from behind the shadow.

"_I am... a mere shell_," responded the being, folding his arms across his chest, observing the emerald-eyed ragamuffin. "_And this is not my home_."

This enigmatic response had done its work in baffling Kydran, who was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable.

"What is this place?" queried Kydran, hoping perhaps to get some answers.

"_Don't you remember? You created it_."

This reply caught Kydran off-guard. He created it...? No way. Couldn't be.

"I did? What is its name?"

"_I think you know_," spoke the other, lowering his arms to his sides, as if to reveal its honesty. "_What is your name_?"

"I... I can't remember..."

He truly couldn't. Panic was slowly beginning to creep over his heart. He could feel his pulse quicken, as though he realized suddenly that something large was about to come crashing down upon him, that the pillars his sanity was based on were crumbling.

"_Then your journey is far from over_."

"What journey? Make some sense!" said Kydran, alarmed. He found himself suddenly wishing he had followed Sora, or that Sora had not run off. Regardless, he wanted that kid by his side.

"_I can help you. I can help you remember. Help you to find your name once more_..."

"My name's Kydran! I know who I am!"

"_No. You don't_."

Kydran could not argue with this. If he was Sora, perhaps, he could believe this fact away, will it away, will it under and force it to disappear, but he could not. Whether it was because of his maturity or his lack of willpower it was impossible to tell, but he was disarmed of his will to fight.

The being extended a hand. He recognized this stance from somewhere... the picture! Of that boy, the 'Rival', as he was being swallowed by black, on the beach!

The boy felt torn; he felt the overwhelming panic, the need to find Sora, to find some solidity, to find some kind of fact that he could bite into. But was Sora even real? Was this place real? Was he dreaming? But he was being offered help, an anchor, a way.

He took the enigmatic man's hand.

* * *

Sora was exploring. Like he said he would. Kydran couldn't tell him what to do. 

_You know, he was only trying to help, Sora_, came that little voice from the back of his head. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, and glared up at the ceiling.

"Oh yeah? If he really thought it was such a good idea, he'd have come with me!"

_Or he was letting you win._

"Fine with me, either way."

_Why are you so mad? Really?_

Ah, he had asked the right question of himself. He couldn't really lie to himself; no, that wouldn't make any sense. He put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ivory-covered floor.

"'Cuz I wanna remember."

He had done a well enough job of keeping his emotions in check. It was a sure sign of his growing maturity; while he was still an open person, he realized sometimes it wasn't such a good idea to wear your mind on your sleeve all the time. But he had overdone it, and bottled emotions never sat well with Sora.

The boy wished he could recall something, anything, from before. Before this Castle, before Kydran, before everything became a black fog. A dark fog.

_The Light, in the Dark._

He sighed. He decided go and apologize to Kydran, who had really done nothing wrong except smell like a smog factory. He turned and headed back to the gallery, and then stopped in his tracks.

The walls of the castle had _rumbled_. As if something had shaken it at the foundations.

He quickened his pace.


	11. Interim

**

* * *

Chapter 9 - ****Interim

* * *

**

The castle grounds were so beautiful; snow-covered, talonlike mountains, a tired sun spreading dying light down in a gorgeous display. Kydran looked to his left; beside him, the raincoated figure stood, hood raised to hide his visage.

"_Still he is in your thoughts_."

Kydran looked back at the panorama before him. Yes; his thoughts always drifted back to that other boy. Despite that, the overpowering need to find him had faded. Now he was with this black-clad being with no name. Nobody. The boy's fingers found their way to the chain around his neck, trailed down to the heart-shaped pendant. He had had the pendant coming into the castle. He wondered, vaguely, if it had anything to do with Sora's crown-shaped pendant.

"_He is looking for you_."

"I don't care," replied Kydran flatly, but the raincoated being saw through the bluff with little effort.

The young man had attained new clothing, as well as having been cleaned and groomed. The being had given that to him. He wore black baggy pants, leather straps all about them, a black flare-sleeved t-shirt, leather vest. And the one thing he had possessed upon entering this realm, one that Sora had not noticed: a silver chain about his neck, at the end of which a heart-shaped pendant dangled.

"_That is good. It is better you don't. He means only to harm you_."

"...what? No, Sora wouldn't hurt me."

"_Are you so sure_?"

"I... no, he's not like that. That's not Sora."

"_His purpose is to destroy creatures of darkness_."

The raincoated figure turned away from the rooftop edge the two had been standing on, and stepped briskly away.

"Wait!" called Kydran, moving after him. "How do you know all this? You said you don't live here."

"_No, I do not. But I know what happened long before you came here_."

"Then you know what happened to my memory!"

"_I do. I said I would help you, did I not_?"

"Yeah."

"_Be patient. I have many things to show you_."

* * *

Sora burst out of the Gallery and into the Gardens, looking frantically around. As familiar as this place was becoming to him (which was unusually fast), he felt lost. He was alone, utterly, in this huge castle, and had been for hours. What was that rumble? When it had happened, Sora had sensed a pounding in his head, a dull thrum that ached and ached. It had faded already, but had disturbed him. 

He slowed, looking around, from ground to air to the tops of the castle. He swallowed hard, and his blue eyes shifted to the ground. He had been mean to Kydran. Why_ wouldn't_ he run off?

Sora had thought perhaps Kydran would have gone to the second floor of the Gallery, and he hadn't paid much attention to the artwork there in his search for his smelly companion, but what he **had** seen disturbed him. Everything was gray, dark, smoggy, unpleasant. He would have been happy to forget what was there.

The boy found nothing in the Gardens, but proceeded forward, toward the gates opposite the Gallery, on the other side of the Gardens. He arrived there swiftly, his fear of being completely alone driving him now.

The huge doorways led into a room that was entirely unlit, even when he entered it. The twin doors closed about him, shutting off all light. He turned and felt for the doorway, but it was not there. His heart began to pound, his breath quickening. The Keyblade Master was now genuinely afraid.

A silky, masculine voice emitted from within the inky blackness.

"I suppose now you wish you had not lost your temper."

"...Kydran?"

"If that's the name he gave you."

"Kydran, I'm sorry I-"

His apology was cut short by a burst of mean laughter from this voice. Sora glared in the direction of the sound, feeling his pride becoming injured.

"Don't kid yourself. I know how you really feel. They all feel the same way. I've seen it so many times."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll understand. Very soon, you'll understand. He will, too. But I want to see the looks on your faces. I'll be sure to keep that memory with me..."

"Kydran! Show yourself!"

But there was no response. Sora waited in the darkness, waited for the voice, who he could only assume to be Kydran's (it _was_ his voice, right?) to say something more. No sound came. The boy took a deep breath and continued to feel around, and his hands made contact with what felt like wall. He gave it a solid push, and the door gave way. He entered into the Gardens again.

He looked at his hand. It was shaking violently; his heart was still pounding. That voice had an edge to it, something that told Sora that the person that voice belonged to could have killed him without thinking twice, with no remorse whatsoever.

Sora stumbled, dazed, toward the fountain in the center of the Gardens, still unable to free himself from the memory of that voice. Kydran's voice.

He sat down, and waited, and thought.

* * *

Kydran was just as dazed at that moment when he found Sora again. The Keyblade Master was still deep in thought, at the fountain, when Kydran approached. 

"...Sora?"

The young man leapt up from his place and faced Kydran, his eyes wild. He was in what Kydran figured was a defensive stance, a reaction trained from... wherever they came from before, he supposed. The black-clad boy's arms folded, and he frowned. Why was he so jumpy?

"Kydran! Get away from me!"

"What?"

At this, Sora's tension seemed to fade.

"It wasn't you, was it?"

"...huh?" Kydran voiced, appearing very baffled. Did Sora know about the man in black? No, he couldn't. That would be impossible.

"The voice, in the dark room! Was it you?"

"Dark room? Sora, are you okay? Really, man, you should get a grip."

The boy in the red jumpsuit still appeared suspicious, but certainly less hostile. Sora took a deep breath, and offered a nervous smile.

"It's alright. I was just a little worried. Where did you go? And where did you get those clothes? You don't smell so bad, either."

"I took a look around the Gardens, and then went digging through the closet in our room to find something to wear. We're just about the same size," responded Kydran, lying easily through his teeth. He held his arms out so Sora could take a look.

"Weird. I didn't see those in there."

"Well, anyway, you were right. It was dumb to split up. I don't think we're alone in this castle, either."

"It's okay. You said you ran into somebody in a dark room?" asked Kydran, frowning. He had been with the robed man the entire time; this other person could not have been himself. Or the robed man. "And he sounded like me?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna go back over there. Not alone."

"It's fine. I'm not really interested in any more exploring today. Let's go back to the dining hall, see if there's some grub there, and then go to the room. There's something I wanna try."

* * *

Their meal had been good. A pair of large hamburgers for the both of them, with hefty sides of fries and two glasses of milk. The dinner conversation consisted primarily of Kydran telling jokes (dirty and otherwise) and Sora spraying milk out of his nose. Kydran's normally pale face had become somewhat bright and joyful, and he had an honest smile, stretching from ear to ear. 

Afterward, the both of them proceeded through the strange, shack-like corridor into the room. Kydran moved to the center of the room, stretched and yawned, and then turned to Sora, who was moving in and out of the doorway, his brow furrowed.

"What's up?"

"Before now, even if you were in a room and I wasn't, it would go dark. But it won't now."

"That's strange," commented Kydran, already on his way to the windowsill over the bed.

"I wonder if it had anything to do with that quake earlier?" offered Sora, who closed the bedroom door and moved to the edge of the bed. "Did you feel it, too?"

"Nuh-uh," responded the ebon-haired boy. He started work on opening the windowsill.

"What're you doing?"

"There's a beach outside. From outside the castle, it's autumn, or winter. Cold. In the Gardens, it's warm. I wonder if this is summer... or if it's even real."

Sora hadn't realized this; he had simply felt at home in that room, and had not given the window a second thought. His expression communicated his loss for words, though it did not last long. Kydran threw the window up and climbed through it.

He fell for quite a ways, and landed hard on his feet. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward and landed face-first in the sand. Sora's aerodynamic yellow clown shoes, however, provided him with a slower descent, so he landed neatly beside Kydran and extended a hand to help him up. Kydran got to his feet, and the both of them surveyed the area.

The pictures in the Gallery did the islands no justice.

The bright azure waters sparkled like countless diamonds in the tropical sun, and the air smelled sweetly of the sea. Gorgeous white sands met the ocean, the land was lush with palm trees, and a warm breeze flowed about the pair of boys, both of whom were completely entranced.

"I don't get it," muttered Kydran, though it was not in displeasure. "How can this place exist? We're in the middle of a damned castle!"

"Who cares? Hanging out here is way better than that huge old place. Come on, maybe we can find something to play with, like some swords or something. Or we can built a raft! I wonder where this ocean leads to?"

"Sora, don't you understand? **That's an ocean**. There wasn't an ocean anywhere in sight when we arrived!"

Unfortunately, Sora was not listening. He was already charging toward some sort of little shack not far from where they stood. Kydran looked up, to the place they had fallen from.

There was a window in the rock face.

He shook his head, took a deep breath, and followed after Sora.

* * *

The days that followed were wonderful. Kydran felt, deep within, that he had found a true friend in Sora. The two knew perfectly well that they were not alone in the castle, but that was okay. They had each other. Still, the robed one came to Kydran, each day, every week revealing one more thing to him, each week gaining his trust, each week showing him one more vital truth. 

After a while, neither of the boys cared to remember their old memories. Sora was happy where he was, and Kydran was learning much from the enigmatic man, gaining power through his small 'gifts', remaining all the while suspicious of his motives. He knew it would not last, but how long, he wasn't sure.

Nobody in the castle truly knew, but the events that would follow would change the destiny of the Eight forever.


	12. Revelation

**

* * *

Chapter 10 - ****Revelation

* * *

**

Everything came crashing down so quickly. In the span of a day, the relationship the boys had built would be tested via trial by fire. So many things would be revealed, the very Fates themselves would be defied, and it all began with oatmeal.

Kydran shielded his face, laughing, having been pelted with a nice, big handful of oatmeal out of Sora's bowl. His brown-haired companion sported a competitive look on his face. With false indignance, and a rather stylish flourish, Kydran scooped out a handful of his own oatmeal and chucked it at the Keyblade Master.

It had started with Sora's comment that Kydran still stank.

"I do not!" Kydran had retorted. "I work very hard to keep myself clean. At least now I know where the shower is."

"Psh, hygiene this!" cried Sora, and the first glob had been hurled.

Now it was an all-out war; soon, the table and the walls were covered in oatmeal, and they hadn't really noticed, but as each ran out of ammunition, another bowl would take the old one's place, nice and hot and grainy.

The both of them were thoroughly soaked by oatmeal by the end of the war. Both Kydran and Sora fell to the tile floor, laughing hard enough to fill the entire dining hall with the sound of it. After regaining control of themselves, they climbed to their feet. Kydran looked to Sora, and Sora looked back. Sora was smiling genuinely; it was the sort of smile that made your inside flutter because you knew that, deep inside, you were important to somebody.

"I say we get cleaned up and hit the gardens. I think I saw a bird there yesterday, and-"

"Cleaned up, yeah, but I want to look at the second floor of the Gallery. We haven't really even gone anywhere new since... that day. It's all been at the beach," responded Kydran, pushing his chair in to the table and heading toward the door. Sora followed shortly behind.

"Sounds alright to me."

"And if we saw that beach in the pictures, and it was real here, maybe the other places are real here, too."

The brown-haired boy was silent, and regarded Kydran silently. He reminded Sora of somebody, recalled more fog, somebody he knew he should remember but couldn't. Even so, Kydran was his only friend in this place. He was happy; he hadn't actually though about getting the memories back. Why would Kydran suddenly bring it back up?

"Alright."

The two left the dining hall, and were unsurprised to find the oatmeal vanished from their bodies. It was the same with the sand at that beach, which filled their shoes and made their socks gritty, but when they climbed had that rock face and returned to the castle through that window, the sand had been gone. Neither of the two had been able to explain it; they had talked about it briefly, but Kydran and Sora had accepted this strange occurrence easily. The Castle itself was fantastical, the beach was not supposed to exist there. Disappearing sand couldn't be too weird.

Through the weaving corridors they went, two friends, for what they would soon believe would be the last time.

Sora entered the Gallery first, followed by Kydran, who surveyed the area closely, for any signs of that robed man, or the person Sora had heard in the dark.

"Alright then, second floor," piped Sora, who found the stairwell and ascended.

* * *

"_I found you._" 

Two shadows in an alabaster room. One stood upon a short pedestal, the other stood with folded arms, in a casual stance, facing the other. Their attire was black as pitch, hoods shadowing any facial features, but each could see through the other's cowl, clear as crystal.

The figure with the folded arms did not respond, simply kept his focus on the enigmatic man.

"_This is most unexpected_," spoke one in a deep, superior voice, his true voice, though a tone of surprise, and a little frustration, was evident within it.

"I'm sure you'll survive. Or maybe you won't... wouldn't that be interesting?" came Kydran's voice from beneath the hood.

"_I assure you, I am in no danger_."

"I know what you want, and I know what I want. I think we can make a deal. We separate them. You can keep your new... project. I will handle the other boy."

"_Handle him? _That_ would be interesting. While he is incomplete, he is not to be underestimated. The power of his will is formidable... even within the perfect prison, he is still a threat_."

"I know the story. He's not the Keyblade Master for nothing. Let's get this over with. The sooner the better."

"_If you insist_."

* * *

Sora reached the top of the stairs, and turned, grinning, to call to Kydran. The ebon-haired youth was not there. Sora groaned in frustration, and proceeded into the second floor of the Gallery. 

The further he progressed, the more he noticed the light from the glass dome above him fading. The light became dimmer and dimmer; the smell of smog and the sound of steamwork hissing became stronger.

The statues here were few and far between, and the pictures were not in plenty, but they were powerful, strong enough to make his heart ache with pity. Depictions of harsh, polluted, dirty city streets, slums, places so filthy he could not imagine anything except grime living there. But there they were; people, dressed in rags, bunched up, fighting the severe winter cold.

Every scene he came to it was winter. The sky was constantly pitch black; what he would only assume was the sun fought to peek sickly through the smoggy, acidic clouds.

Into the sky, from what seemed to be the center of this city, a spire of bright silver jutted upward, terminating into a large disk-like structure at its top.

_He smelled like smog and metal_, thought Sora vaguely.

Sora took time to examine the statues. The first he came to was a somewhat tall man, standing proudly upon his ebony pedestal. One fist was placed upon his hip, the other arm dangled loosely at his sides. A confident, lopsided smile was present on his facial features, his hair was a mess, and it added to the carefree air this figure had about it. This man was clad in rags, much like Kydran had been.

"Whoa..."

Sora noticed that the differences in physical appearance between Kydran and this statue were relatively few, the age difference notwithstanding. He looked to the label on it; it read "Betrayer." Sora moved on.

A statue of a girl, seeming to be as confident as the man that came before her. Her arms were folded, her head cocked to the side, a strange, amused smile upon her face. Long hair flowed from her head, and combined with her expensive-looking attire, she was very attractive. Sora gave her another two or three looks, smiled dopily, and read the label. "Lover."

The last statue (how few they were) looked amazingly like both Kydran and the "Betrayer", but this older man appeared...

"...corroded..."

...and hateful, drunken, vile. Even in its marble eyes, Sora could read hatred, anger, hostility. It made him uneasy, especially considering how tall, how _huge_ this man was. His face was gristly, his hair an oily mess, but he did not wear rags, but what seemed to be workman's clothing of some sort.

The label read "God."

Kydran's laughter sounded from behind him. Sora whipped around, frightened out of his reverie, and saw a black blur move from behind one of the statues, darting down the stairs.

"...Kydran? Wait up, I'm not done yet!"

The laughter continued, fading away as the source moved further into the first floor.

"Hold on!" cried Sora, rushing toward the stairs and descending with haste.

* * *

"_It is time I revealed to you the truth_," spoke the enigmatic man, waving an arm grandly and approaching the part of the castle opposite the Gallery. "_Too long has it been hidden from you. This is only one of many places. There is so much to show you_." 

"Great!" grinned Kydran, following the black figure as it disappeared through the gates. Silence came after they passed over the threshold, and Kydran knew the door behind him was long gone. He strained for his eyes to adjust, but there was nothing.

Then the room exploded with light.

Kydran cried out in pain, covering his eyes, and was displeased to find that he could see _through_ them. He removed them from his face, and looked at them. He was no longer corporeal; his body was a latticework of energy, a matrix of glowing power. His entire body was engulfed in a bright azure glow; it seemed his shape, clothes and all, had been transferred into some shimmering polygonal shape.

"_There is no real Light in this place. I am showing to you what lies behind the mask of this castle_."

Kydran knew the voice was coming from ahead of him, but he could not make out the shape of his instructor. He turned, and looked back toward the castle (or, at least, where the castle should have been). Instead of a wall, instead of a castle, all he saw was an immense, bright light, shaped haphazardly, coursing with azure veins, pulsing softly. He was stunned.

"This is... incredible..."

"This is the world in its true form," responded the enigmatic man from his place in... wherever he was. It was only a voice anymore.

"So then... it's all just an illusion," said Kydran, shaking his head. Everything, this place, was not solid, it was not real.

"There are only the memories," replied the voice.

"The memories?"

"You created this place. The boy, Sora, did, as well."

"No..."

"You know, now. It is there, in front of you, the answer you seek."

"...my memories? Sora's memories, everything from before... here! This place is **made** of our memories!"

"That is correct," answered the voice, and Kydran's hands went over his eyes again. The story the Gallery told. The beach. Were those his? Were they Sora's ? No, they couldn't be his own...

_(one friend without a price-)_

...his own would come flooding back soon. He knew it, deep within. This hollowness within himself, the Light that the castle was made up of that should be within himself, replaced by _nothing_. He _knew_ they were about to come back, just as somebody _knows_ an avalanche is about to come crashing down on his head.

"Sora...I have to find Sora! Take me back, I have to warn him!"

"It is too late. He will realize it, as well. You don't even know your role in this game..."

"He's my friend! A true friend, one that won't betray me, won't leave me, one that can help me!"

"Don't fight it. Let it come, accept it, because without acceptance you will never know yourself."

"Let me out of here!"

"The connection has already been made. So be it..."

The ebon-haired boy no longer knew who he was, for he was washed away by the tide of truth that came crashing down upon him.

* * *

Sora burst through the doors, his head whipping left and right as he checked for signs of where that black blur had gone. It had to be Kydran; it was Kydran's voice. It was wearing black. But how did that kid get so fast? 

The dining hall stretched out before him, and he took a deep breath. Slowly rising within him was the feeling that this was not Kydran. Some sort of abomination, a wraith, a ghost. Something was terribly wrong, and he felt it in his gut, in his heart. He charged down the hall, and pushed through the doors, onto the balcony which lay within the antechamber. He caught movement in his peripherals, a dark movement down one of the two hallways. This hallway was not the way to the beach; no, this was the one Kydran had been jumpy about, afraid of.

The one that Sora was most curious about.

Despite his curiosity, Sora's uneasiness was growing. There was some kind of secret in the very depths of this castle, something just outside his grasp, something stopping him from realizing the truth. Why he was there. Why Kydran was there. Maybe the corridor held the answer.

He stepped through into a world that was both loud and very polluted. This was not his atmosphere by any stretch of the imagination. He continued forth through the corridor.

In the same way the beach had depicted Sora's home world, this depicted Kydran's very, very well. The smell of smog was thick, and Sora found himself coughing periodically as he pressed on. Cold, bitter cold, passed through the junk-born walls, and through the seams of this ramshackle hallway, he could make out slums, slums and poverty as far as the eye could see.

He reached the end of the hallway, and pushed the door open.

He was assaulted instantly by one of the most terrifying memories he had ever experienced.

* * *

_Sora was very cold. He wrapped his arms around his legs, placing his head on his knees. His breath was visible. He looked around him. The room was empty. It was his own room. The one window was broken, boarded up. Snow fell softly outside, but he could find no warmth or happiness in the beautiful weather. He felt terrified. He felt hungry. He was freezing. _

_His blue eyes moved to the doorway, where he thought he had heard something. Deep within him welled a feeling of horror, a feeling that told him not to be where he was because something terrible was going to come through the door._

_He heard the front door slam. A man was shouting loudly, _angrily_, though Sora could not make out the words._

_It had to be his father... it could be no other person. He lifted himself to his feet, leaning against the wall, recalling... recalling earlier that day. It had been a life-changing day, and perhaps not for the better._

_His own brother. Left him alone. In the snow, cold, alone, no protector, nobody to talk to anymore... except perhaps her, but she was beyond his reach now. Her family, and his, would never allow them to see each other again. Reifa had been so angry, seeing her with that little ragamuffin boy..._

_He heard the footsteps coming. There was no way to avoid it._

_Sora's hand reached up, looped through his collar and his pale digits wrapped around the cold silver pendant. The man in black had given it to him... in the alleys, not long before... he became alone. Perhaps it was all connected? But the pendant could not save him now._

_The doorway into the 'room' was suddenly blocked by the form of his father, towering, and the one word came to mind, as it always did: _corroded.

_Sora wanted to die._

_

* * *

"How does it feel, little boy?" came Kydran's voice from the doorway. Sora picked himself up off his knees. He had, unconsciously, dropped to his knees during the experience. He turned slowly, and faced Kydran's look-alike. _

Sora was facing a duplicate of Kydran clad in the Unknowns' raincoat. They appeared exactly the same, except for one difference:

The boy's hair was bright crimson.

Sora gasped sharply and stumbled back.

"You... are yoy Kydran?"

"...you wish. You exist only to destroy him, to destroy us. No more."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't let you leave this place."

Something was beginning to dawn on Sora.

_The pendant._

The figure moved a gloved hand casually through his bright crimson hair... emerald eyes, Kydran's eyes, glared at Sora. Kydran's memories flooded his mind.

_My reflection._

"You... it's beginning to come back..."

"Good. Maybe you'll wake up, and I won't feel like a murderer. It will be a fair fight..."

Sora's eyes were distant, glazed over. He wasn't looking at the crimson-haired unknown; he was looking beyond. At the pendant.

_My hair, it's black..._

"I know who you are, I know your name..."

_And red._

"It sure as hell isn't Kydran."

The buzzing filled Sora's ears, manipulated his vision, filled his eyes with images.

He felt very cold.

* * *

The boy crept through the dank alleyway, fighting to suppress the ever-present cough that came as a result if living in his fair city. His twin emerald oculars, the only thing about him that could draw attention in his present state, shifted from one end of the alley to another. He was already too far, he had already overstepped his bounds. If he was caught, it would be his hide. 

He was in a low crouch, moving steadily along. They had already determined that they were going to meet at the borders of the City; it would be harder for a noble who didn't know the streets to walk in the slums than a slum-rat to get to the middle ground between the slums and the Spire. Besides, he had no wish for her to see that conditions he lived in.

Coming to the edge of the alleyway, the ragamuffin boy glanced left, then right. He was within the network of apartment complexes, filled with people who worked office jobs and in stores and in normal city places. The places where people lived promised to be nearly empty this time of day; in and out, the people in the City performed their duties like clockwork. He had always found it funny. Everything moving like clockwork in Clockwork Town.

Making one more check to be sure the way was safe, had darted across the street and into another alley. The people living here couldn't afford the security cameras that cropped up everywhere nearer the Spire, so he would be fine. The constant hum of the giant cogs and machines that kept the city together, all of which were at the fringe of the 'island' that was their world, the ones that made sure the sun rose every morning and the moon came up every night (even though you could see neither through the cloud of constant smog) never went away, even for somebody in the Spire.

So there he was at the meeting place. He hoped she would come soon. Double-checking his surroundings, he crept forward a little further, past a few empty crates and a large dumpster.

Somebody grabbed his shoulder.

He whipped around, eyes wide in surprise, and glared suddenly. Pandora had covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the laughter.

"Really, you should have seen the look on your face," she giggle. He was entirely nonplussed.

"Look, that's not very nice. I admire your ability to sneak up on me and all, but-"

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, leaning toward him and nodding toward the silver chain around his neck. "Who gave that to you?"

"That's a good question. I don't know who he was."

Pandora stood fully upright and folded her arms. She was no dressed like a noble at all; it was as if she had gone looking for the grungiest little robe she could find, one with a hood that could keep her face out of sight. The boy could only imagine how hard it had to be to get out of the Spire.

"I heard that Kydran and his friend got into a fight with a bunch of thieves while they were out junking," said Pandora, watching as her boyfriend removed the heart-shaped pendant from within his shirt and held it up for her to see. "And I also heard that the thieves regretted it instantly."

"That's because nobody screws with my brother. Not even my dad," grinned the boy, putting the pendant back. His eyes drifted towards his love's neck. He considered her for a moment, and then considered the silver chain that was around her own neck. Her necklace, however, did not have a heart-shaped pendant, but instead had a small silver bauble on the end signifying that she was a noble.

"I brought something to show you," said Pandora. "My aunt Reifa gave it to me. She said it belonged to my mom."

The girl dug around in her sooty, trashy brown robe and produced a gorgeous silver mirror.

"You said you've never gotten a chance to look at yourself, right, Asher?" asked the black-haired girl.

"Yeah. Junkers can barely afford to eat, and I don't know if you've seen the oceans out there-"

"They're oily. I know."

The boy held the mirror delicately, knowing the mirror must be priceless to the girl. Turning the reflective side to himself, he frowned. He saw a ragamuffin boy from the slums, his face covered in soot, his greasy hair black with red streaks.

"You're quite the looker, I'll have you know," commented Pandora, and Asher shook his head, smiling and handing the mirror back to her.

"There's plenty of other homeless people in the slums. Why me?"

"You know, I'm not entirely sure," responded the girl, taking Asher's hand and smiling. His gaze was locked on her soft violet eyes. "But I love you anyway."

They stood in silence for a short while, regarding each other and simply enjoying each others' presence. Finally, Pandora frowned.

"What is it?"

"Just... something that Reifa had said earlier. She was talking as if she knew about you and I being together. It's been bothering me, but I had to see you."

"What are you talk-"

"There she is!" came an older female's voice from the end of the alleyway. The alley became flooded with light, nearly blinding the boy and the girl alike. Reifa was screaming curses now, commanding the men she had gathered to separate them, to get the boy.

"Run!" cried Pandora, though Asher was almost too stunned to react.

As the armored man pulled her away from him, ripped her hand from his grasp, he felt his heart tear in two.

It began to snow.

* * *

Sora's eyes narrowed on the red-haired maniac. 

"You're Asher, aren't you?"

"No, but close enough. I am his Id."

"This doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense. Where do you think your body is, Sora? Keep track of yourself. The princess's little key. You know what I mean."

"No!"

"When you cut yourself, I think you cut a little too deep. That takes care of you, but myself? He did all the work for me. I owe it all to that good man in black... his powers are immense. He successfully separated heart from body, even if he didn't expect body to follow."

"You're his body!"

Sora would have continued his questioning, but the walls of the castle rumbled, throttled, began to fall apart. The junk the walls of the room were made of began slipping out of place, the roof began to cave in.

"Good... yes, this will be good. A fight, between the Keyblade Master and his destiny..."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but it's time you stopped talking, period. I won't let you hurt him anymore."

The crimson-haired boy smirked. His hair and clothing whipped about as if caught in a sudden gust of wind; there was a burst of dark power. The Id held the Heart Key in its hands.

Sora nearly lost his balance. The ground rumbled violently, and while everything seemed to be crushing down, falling down on the both of them, it did not. The walls were melting away like paint after a splash of turpentine. The floor itself was cracking. Entire boulders floated away from beneath them, and they were left in the Darkness.

Suddenly, the Id's Heart Key was gone.

Behind the Id stood Asher.

In Asher's left hand, the Heart Key rested idly. Beyond Kydran was the enigmatic man.

"Sora... I understand now. You do, too, don't you? We're connected. Beyond friendship," spoke the emerald-eyed young man, distantly.

The Id whipped around, glaring venomously at the black-haired boy.

"You have no business here, you twerp! This is **my** time!" hissed Id, turning back to Sora. "Now, where were we?"

"No! You aren't a part of me anymore! I never wanted you to be!"

Sora was dumbfounded. Kydran was fighting with himself...? How often had that happened?

This time, the Id turned fully around to confront the black-haired boy, smiling cruelly.

"Perhaps you forgot who it was that carried you through the times you felt you'd kill yourself. Who saved you when Kydran was not around to stop good ol' dad. He left you, and so did she, and I'm here to stop you from ever being hurt again!"

"Sora would never hurt me."

Another black form plowed suddenly into the Id's side; it was a blur before Sora, Asher, and the enigmatic man.

"You're right!" cried this new unknown, triumphantly. The Id was slammed into the 'ground' (there was no ground anymore, only the solidity they all willed to be present), and the attacker landed neatly on the ground not far from any of them.

"What a perfect trap you've created," addressed the newcomer to the enigmatic man. The raincoated one responded by turning that hood in the direction of the young voice. "You've called in the heart, the body, and two things you didn't expect. I know your plan, now. It's not going to happen."

Sora was quiet. The newcomer sounded exactly like himself. He looked to the black-haired boy, shaking his head in disbelief. The Id was not quite so dumbfounded, however. Only enraged. The crimson-haired boy flipped easily back onto his feet and shot a poisonous look at...

Dyne.

_I've been to see him. He looks just like you._

Sora felt as though he was looking into his own face, save perhaps for the strange haircut and blonde coloring in the hair. The Keyblade Master scratched the back of his head, completely baffled. What was happening here was beyond his control. Even stranger was the fact that, through these events and through experiencing Asher's memory, his own form had been altered- his clothing had been changed, as Asher's had, and his appearance had changed significantly.

He was still wearing a jumpsuit-and-hoodie-vest combination, but the red jumpsuit was black now. On his shoulders a pair of steel shoulderpads, not unlike Sephiroth's (albeit less intrusive) were strapped down, and a pair of large pouches were strapped to his sides. His sneakers had shrunk in size, fitting a little more accurately, and had shifted to a black, blue, and white mix of colors. He looked at his gloves, which had shifted to black, as well.

"_This is nothing. The Darkness is eternal, as will be the Light. The Eight will continue for eternity, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. I can assure you. With these words, I will take my leave of you. Enjoy your stay in the Darkness_."

The enigmatic man was then gone. No flash, no lightning, no burst of dark haze- simply vanished, as the world would when one blinked.

"Sora... let me take care of this. I can destroy them both, you won't be in danger anymore..."

"Danger?"

"Don't you understand yet? Look at them! They only want to destroy you, _it's their purpose_."

"That's not true!" shouted the wielder of the Heart Key angrily. "No! I would never hurt Sora!"

Dyne whipped his gaze to meet the boy's eyes, his own oculars narrowing.

"Yes, you would. Whether you like it or not, you would. Open your eyes, accept the truth."

The Id was through with talking. Asher launched forward, knowing the next moments would be crucial. Id rushed Dyne, to which the dual wielder responded with just that- dual wielding. The Oathkeeper and Oblivion found their way into his hands, and both the Id and Dyne disappeared into the Darkness, the noise of clashing steel echoing in the void.

"We don't have much time, Sora. Id will destroy him, I'm sure of it. Destroy his memories, or take them, like he did to me. The Darkness within him is too strong to overcome."

"What are you talking about!"

"The man in black didn't take my memories to build the castle, like he did yours. He took all of the Id's memories... my Id. And the Id had taken every memory from me, even the memory of my own name... so he was built into the castle itself. That's how he got to you, in the room. But everything's breaking down now, because of our connection!"

"Make sense, come on!" cried Sora, though it was futile. It made perfect sense. He already knew the truth; it was no longer hidden from him. The connection was strong, indeed, more powerful than he had thought originally. And he knew what the connection was. Tears began to well in his eyes; the other boy's cheeks were already wet.

"Sora, the weapon in my hand can stop this. Stop the pain, at least for a little while. But when you remember everything, you have to remember this: Find Memoria. Find the source of all the memories. The man in black showed me everything, showed me the true source of all things. Of the Light and of the Darkness, and where you can find the Door."

"...please, Asher, no!" Sora tried to protest, but shook his head. He knew there was no choice, knew what their connection was and what would happen, ultimately. Why? Why did he had to make these choices? Why did he have to be the Keyblade Master? "I can't take this burden. I don't want to be the Keyblade Master anymore!"

"You don't have a choice, Sora! I don't have a choice, either! This world is about to go up in Darkness, so get your head on straight!"

Sora's mind raced. He understood. Nobody would survive if he forgot the things he knew, and his future choices would depend on what he knew. He had to keep the memories safe.

Sora took a shuddering breath and spread his arms out to his sides.

"Sora..."

The weapon was thrust into Sora's chest. The Heart Key, capable of unlocking hearts, was this time used to lock it. Lock away the memories of Castle Oblivion. Lock away everything he knew, lock away everything from reading that letter to the terrible realization of that the black-haired boy really represented.

"Be strong."


	13. Leon

**

* * *

Chapter 11 - ****Leon

* * *

**

As Asher's lock came undone there came a relentless tidal wave of memory, a monsoon that threatened to destroy his very sanity with its sheer power, roiling through his mind. His hands went to his head, but he found a great deal of resistance against him movement. His head pounded, his chest burned.

_Find Memoria..._

His eyes opened. Azure light filled his view, a crystalline scene of the deepest sea.

_...true source..._

He felt that falling sensation once more, turned, saw he was moving farther and farther away from a massive black form against the sun, which shone into the cerulean waters.

..._where you can find the Door._

He realized it was not a dream. He truly was underwater! Sora released a panicked breath, a large bubble spouting from his mouth. He fought to swim upward, and the memories engulfed him like the water itself.

* * *

_Sora... we're alone again. In the Darkness... _

_Understand, I don't want to hurt you. But I have to... I can't deny it, any more than you could deny that you're the Keyblade Master. That's alright, though... I'll always be your friend. _

_Find Memoria. He showed me everything... every world has a gate to Memoria. You have to find the Light in the heart of the world. The power of your promise, and the power of Darkness... use them to open the gate. 'Door to the Light, tied by two keys'._

_Memoria is a mere shell of what it once was, but it is there that you will find the Door. My Nemesis, the Darkheart Crystal, will follow you if it has taken me... the Darkness and the Light aren't what you think they are, but soon you'll understand. Ansem was a fool... all of us were. Except for the man in black._

_...Sora?_

_Remember, the closer you get to the Light, the greater your shadow becomes._

_Go... go, keep your promises._

_

* * *

He broke through the surface, sputtering, coughing, choking on the water. He realized, again, who he was. What he was. He was Sora, the Keyblade Master. The lock had come undone. _

What had caused it?

Sora traced the memories back, through all the confusion, the chaos. The Coliseum... Asher had almost died there. He had to get away. Instinctively, he knew. Asher's Id had returned, the chaos in his mind overcoming his self-control, and the Id had been set free... but the Id was separate. Had it, once more, gained control of Asher?

Sora looked around himself, moving the wet hair from his eyes, and listened. There was a faint rushing sound. He knew it couldn't be the waves of the sea; there were no waves in this place.

Hollow Bastion.

How did they get there? He had just been in the coffin in Halloween Town when he had submerged, when the lock came undone. Brief pain, surfacing, and then under again. He frowned, and then turned himself around.

The tail of the gummi ship was protruding from the ocean surface.

_The ship crashed._

That inner voice did not need to make a second statement. Sora immediately plunged underneath the surface, and began swimming pell-mell toward the ship.

The domed window of the cockpit had shattered, and the ship had nearly fallen apart. It was sinking, and would stay together long. Sora entered the ship through the cockpit, utilizing the skills he had attained over the years of living on an island.

He moved through the hallway and into the kitchen area. Finding nothing but floating ham sandwiches, he swam through to the cargo area, and it was there that he found survivors.

Aerith, Yuffie, Cloud, and Auron were all paddling in the cargo bay, their heads barely above water. Sora swam upward, poked his head through the surface. The other four turned to look, and an expression of mixed helplessness and relief was present on their faces.

"Sora! I can't believe it, you're okay!" cried Yuffie, who was so emotional by that her eyes were pouring tears. Aerith looked overjoyed, then, while Cloud appeared emotionless. Auron smiled lopsidedly.

"We're in a bit of a fix, Sora. How did you- I mean, are you alright? What happened?" questioned Aerith, amazed. Sora was, by far, one of the most resilient people she had ever encountered.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but the ship is sinking, you guys needs to get out! Follow me!"

With that, Sora went into the water, head under heels. He swam hard, fighting against the water rushing into the ship, periodically checking behind him to make sure his friends were behind him. They had managed to swim out, as well. The five of them exited out the cockpit. Sora steered them to the surface, splashed out of the water as well, and took a deep breath. Then the others had recovered, he addressed them.

"Guys, was that all of you? Was Asher on board? Pandora?"

"...Asher?" asked Yuffie, puzzled.

"Yeah, Asher!"

"Nobody named Asher was on our ship, Sora," spoke Cloud, shaking his head, scanning the area for someplace to go. There, not too long off, was that tower rising out of the middle of an endless ocean. Hollow Bastion...

"Asher... he had been calling himself Kydran. That's not his real name, though, that's his brother's name," spoke Sora, partly to himself. He recalled a few of the memories exchanged between the two of them. One of them had included the name of the 'Betrayer'. Kydran. The man who protected Asher from his own drunken, abusive father. The same man who left him defenseless when he went.

"Kydran and Pandora never came back from Halloween Town. They were on it when it was swallowed by the Darkness," Auron explained, and Sora felt his heart sink to the bottom of the ocean he was swimming. Both Asher and Pandora...? Gone...?

"His name's not Kydran. It's Asher."

"Asher, then. But that boy... Dyne. Dyne came back, with your body."

"...what? Id would have destroyed him..."

"Sora, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I'll explain it all later. Who else was on the ship?"

"Cid. Cid and Dyne were the only other ones, but they weren't in the ship. I think they got thrown out, like you did," observed Auron.

"I hope they're okay," stated Yuffie, and the others gave an affirmative nod. Worry ate at Sora's insides as they began to swim their way toward the Rising Falls, where the water flowed upward instead of downward.

It wasn't as hard getting there as it was getting in there. Upon their arrival, however, Sora's worries washed away. Along with the blonde-haired kid, Dyne, Cid sat on a rock, waiting, though the both of them were sopping wet.

When the five other survivors had managed to clamber onto the rock, Sora grinned from ear to ear at the sight of Dyne.

"Asher's Id didn't destroy you? How did you survive?"

"I'm not sure, Sora. We faced off in the Darkness, and then I forgot all about it until recently. I think that the Id had his own copy of Asher's keyblade, and he nailed me with it, or something like that. When we hit the water, I was out like a light, and I remembered it all."

The other five looked absolutely clueless. Cloud was concentrating on the oddity of waterfalls flowing upward; even when Hollow Bastion was his home, he found it strange. Ansem never had given him a reason why they flowed upward.

"...so you were created when I released Kairi's heart..."

"I think so. I have some unfinished business to take care of here, so let's get moving."

"Wait... gimme my keyblades back!"

"No! These are mine."

"What! Give 'em back!"

"No."

Sora fired a feral glare at Dyne, extended a hand, and willed the Oathkeeper into his hand. In that flash of light, manifested by swirling stars, the Promise Key found its way into Sora's waiting hand. Dyne, not to be outdone, called the weapon back. Sora felt a sharp tug, but held fast. The weapon would not go back to Dyne.

"Dammit!"

"Ha. Don't mess with the best," smirked Sora, sauntering off, making his way along the boulders.

The other five were still completely baffled, but they followed anyway. Back to their old home; intact once more, but still not welcoming.

Dyne walked beside Sora, miffed that the two keyblades he was so used to using were no longer in his possession.

"Sora. We have to find Memoria."

"That's what Asher said..."

"What? That fiend. I never should have allowed her to get in my way..."

"Her?"

"Pandora."

"Asher loved Pandora. She loved him, too, of course she was gonna get in the way. I'd do the same thing for Kairi. Wouldn't you?"

"No."

"I thought... you were me?"

"No again. I'm my own damn person!" voiced Dyne, loudly. Sora's innocent statement had set off a trigger in the blonde-haired kid. "And you better watch your step! I didn't save your ass for nothing."

Cid was impressed by this kid's choice of words.

"I didn't mean anything," muttered Sora, stepping onto the tram-like device that carried people from place to place within the castle.

"Uh, Sora?" Yuffie toned.

"Yeah?"

"...where'd you get your new clothes?"

Sora then looked down at his new clothing. He was surprised to find that he was wearing the clothes that he had been when Asher locked his heart. He frowned, looked back up at Yuffie, and shook his head.

"Asher's influence, I think."

"Oh... alright. I just thought it was kinda weird."

The tram started on its hasty way to the castle itself. It was a great moment to get air-dried, and when they arrived on the other side, they were still a little moist but otherwise dry. All seven moved off of the platform, Sora in the lead, and processed toward the main gate.

"_Sora._"

The Keyblade Master's head whipped in the direction of the voice. It was so familiar... like so many voices in one. He frowned. It had come from where the Heartless crest was etched in the face of the castle. Sora's face stoned with determination, and he pressed on. He would find the gate to Memoria.

They entered through the front gate. Sora was used to being attacked suddenly by the Heartless that infested the castle; his gait was cautious, his footing edgy. Dyne strode casually along, while Auron, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, and Cid all walked behind them.

They entered the antechamber and moved to the center of the room, before the fountain, and stopped. Before them stood a strange creature, all but one had never seen before. Dyne called the Oblivion to his hand, sinking into an offensive stance.

"...it's one of them. Some kind of Heartless, I think," muttered Dyne. The creature before them, resembling a gray Heartless dressed in a blue-leathered straightjacket. It contorted spasmodically, unnaturally, and seemed to glare at them from beneath the ivory hood. On the top of the hood was marked a strange symbol; it was anchor-like, a pair of curves as its base, a sharpened cross rising from it.

"...that's really weirding me out," mentioned Yuffie, stepping back. Sora called the Kingdom Key to his hand. Dyne took the opportunity to summon the Oathkeeper to his open fist. The monster before them spasmed, throbbed, and stretched into the air. It disappeared into a haze of power just above their heads.

Dyne straightened himself, turned to look at the others, and shook his head. His gaze turned to the group behind him.

"Look, I think it's best you guys clear out of here. Something serious is about to happen, and-"

Dyne's speech was cut abruptly short when the gates into the antechamber were thrown open. In charged a duck about three feet tall clad in blue mages' gear alongside a tall bipedal dog with a green hat, orange attire, and a shield in one hand.

Sora's eyes got to be about as big as saucers.

"Sora! Everything's okay, right?" called Donald, sliding to a halt in front of him. This would have sufficed, but Goofy, who was not nearly as graceful, failed the sliding procedure. Slamming into Donald's back, the two warriors of the Disney Kingdom crashed head-on into Sora, who went bowling over into the fountain. All three of them were now wet. The water poured down on Donald's head. He appeared completely nonplussed.

"A-hyuk, sorry about that! You okay, Sora?"

The Keyblade Master was ruffled, but little more. His joy at seeing his two comrades again, ever since separating before Castle Oblivion a year ago, overcame the discomfort.

"It's great to see you guys! What are you doing here?"

"We got another letter from King Mickey. Turns out the Kingdom wasn't in so much danger after all! But it's alright, we trust the King, right, Donald?" explained Goofy, looking down at his feathered comrade.

"That's right. But now we're here, to help, and the King is here, too!"

"What!" exclaimed Sora, expression awe-struck. If the King was here, then Riku was here, too...

In the meantime, Dyne was addressing the ex-residents of Hollow Bastion on how unintelligent it would be to progress any further. He started to explain to them about Memoria, what lie within, and the reasons why they shouldn't go when, again, the doors to the castle were thrown open.

There stood a dripping wet, very unhappy Lilka.

They all turned to look. Aerith gasped and ran over to her. The crest sorceress moved inside, the door shut behind her, and she leaned against the door.

"Auron! I thought you said Dyne and Cid were the only other ones left!" cried Sora, lifting himself out from beneath Donald and Goofy, who landed hard on the marble floor. He came to Aerith's side, leaned on his knees, and looked at the drenched girl.

"Are you Sora?" asked Lilka, looking into the young man's blue eyes. Aerith stooped to examine her, check her for wounds and warm her with magic.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"I'm Lilka Eleniak. Kydran was looking for you, he wanted to find you. Did you get to see him before... before the world disappeared?"

Sora's eyes were distant. He was no longer looking at her, but past her, farther, into the memories what he had regained.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."

Lilka was helped to her feet by Aerith, and Sora straightened himself.

"I think Dyne's right. You guys should stay here."

"What are you talking about?" gargled Donald, attempting to push Goofy off. The dog complied, clambering out of the pool.

"We're going into a place that's very... dangerous. More dangerous than the Darkness, even."

"We'll face anything, a-hyuk! We're friends, right? That's what we do!"

"I know you would, but now I'm gonna ask you, because you're my friends, to stay behind," spoke Sora, smiling faintly. Finally, the scope of the entire situation was coming into view.

Everyone in the room was silent for awhile, even Donald.

"Alright, Sora, but we'll see you off. S'long as you're still here, and not in that Memoria place, we'll help ya," supported Goofy, breaking the silence. Sora nodded gravely, in spite of Goofy's bright demeanor.

"Let's go, already. The Darkness isn't slowing down for us," muttered Dyne, who proceeded up one of the stairways, toward the lift stop. Sora took a deep breath and followed, Donald and Goofy behind. Lilka moved to follow them.

"Lilka, don't. I don't understand what's happening any more than you, but I know there's danger," warned Aerith, and Lilka shook her head vehemently. "We can't make Sora worry about us, or he may not make it."

"I might find my home, wherever they're going. I won't find it out here, with you people. And he's going to need help."

"Look," said Yuffie, moving to face Lilka. "Sora said to stay here. I trust him. He's going into danger for us."

But was that really it?

"You're a coward! All of you are cowards! I don't understand how you can just let him go! He might die! I'm going!" shouted Lilka, storming off, up one of the steps. She halted at the top of the stairs, watching a form sink toward the lift stop.

She found that Cloud had already been on his way.

* * *

The black figure moved into the room. Across from him sat a man, clad in red robes, his face wrapped in crimson clothing, thick belts holding the rags in place. The man in red raised his head, watching the tall, enigmatic man step in. 

"They have arrived. It's surprising that they did not die... every single one of them lived. Perhaps fate is against us," spoke this crimson unknown, his face emotionless at best.

"_It does not matter. The creature that Id has created awaits them at the gate. Beyond the gate, if they get beyond... I will wait for them. If they get beyond me, Memoria itself will devour them. Do not fear, they have not done anything yet I have not expected_," reassured the black figure, moving to the window.

"And my body? When we have finished, I will have it back? This form is... restricting."

"_Yes. I will keep my end of the bargain. Do not say a word to the others_."

The raincoated man stepped away from the door, brushing past the seated figure, heading toward the door. He paused upon the threshold.

"_It is not good to let them know of our plans, Ansem_."

The being of pure heart-form was silent as the enigmatic man left the room.

* * *

Sora, flanked by both Donald and Goofy, walked cautiously out of the exit to the lift stop, looking about, alert. He took a breath to calm himself. Why was he so nervous? Perhaps because he knew that every action he was taking had an impact on the fate of the world. It was so much less simple than the Darkness anymore. 

He took another step and halted. He felt that hum, the strange popping noise of wormholes to the Darkness being opened. Out of thin air burst small, solid-jet humanoids. Twin crooked horns jutted form their heads. Vein-like crests worked their way along the Neo Heartless's foreheads. Sora was encircled.

Above the Heartless crest, black forms began to materialize out of nothing. The Gathering. Five there were, walking to the edge overlooking the seas of Hollow Bastion. Sora looked upward, knowing within himself that they were there, though, perhaps, he could not yet see them. Donald and Goofy armed themselves. Sora drew an arm through the air, the Kingdom Key forming in his right hand.

The Heartless attacked. Donald immediately began his assault of spells and incantations, Goofy did his duty in deflecting the incoming attacks, protecting Sora, his friend. Sora charged forward, recalling the countless battles with these monsters he had had so long ago, but memories were so _fresh_, somehow, in his mind that he dropped easily into his old fighting rhythm.

He struck one as it leapt toward him. Bringing the weapon down, Sora swatted yet another away. He would get to the raincoated one he saw standing on the edge nearest him. He knew of only one unknown; this one may very well have been Asher's mentor within the Castle.

Sora braced, leapt up, brandished the keyblade.

The figure turned, slowly, reaching up for the hood that covered its face.

Silver hair fell over jet-clad shoulders.

A black blindfold covered his eyes.

It was Riku.

Sora halted immediately, landing, on the toes of one foot, on the edge of the platform. Riku faced Sora, looking at him (or at least Sora thought) from behind the blindfold. Sora fell back.

The Keyblade Master landed on his flanks, hard. It knocked the wind out of him. The other four unknowns walked to the edge, beside Riku. Or was it Riku's body?

"Good, then," spoke Knives softly, moving next to Riku. "We have him where we want him."

Riku was silent as Sora, Goofy, and Donald found themselves encircled by a number of the Neo-Heartless. The powerful Heartless crept forward nearing them, launched forward, both claws raised, ready to tear the Keyblade Master into shreds.

The blow never connected.

The golden-edged keyblade seemed to come out of nowhere, wielded by an obsidian blur. Sora's eyes followed the motion, surprised he could keep track, and when the white monsters had been fully repelled, a singular figure stood, keyblade raised.

King Mickey.

Sora's jaw dropped. Donald and Goofy, who were just as, if not more, surprised pushed Sora down to get a look. Sora, recovering, gaped. It was him! Really him, back from Kingdom Hearts! Just like Riku...!

"Hurry! He knows you're here! Riku and Dyne will help you!" cried the short-statured warrior dressed in the raincoat that seemed so very fashionable as of late.

Riku leapt away to Sora's side, to Knives' surprise, calling his weapon to his gloved hand and striking out at one of the Neo-Heartless. Riku wielded the Nail Bat, the wing-sword Ansem had given him, with a speed and accuracy that was not expected from a blind man. Three of the remaining four Unknowns disappeared in a cloud of black energy, leaving one behind.

The last Unknown stood, lowered its hood, and watched as King Mickey dealt with the Neo Heartless, providing cover for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to get to their feet.

The Trinity scrambled upward and made their way onto the platform where the five unknowns had been standing. The Unknown that had remained looked the three over with eyes that seemed to glow fire.

"Who are you?"

Riku and Dyne moved to Sora's side, followed by Mickey and Goofy and Donald. The Keyblade Master looked his friends over, not quite believing that they were there, every single one of them. He faced the man, and his eyes narrowed.

"My name is Knives."

The man looked to be in his late teens, as far as Sora could tell. His features were sharp, and he had a mane of pure white, and it alsoappeared that he had never combed it.From two hollow eyesockets, two lines were tattooed from his eyes down to his cheeks. Sora, despite the sickened feeling at the sight of the man with no eyes, narrowed his focus on him.

"Where's the gate?" demanded Sora, tapping the Kingdom Key on his shoulder.

"In the center of this castle. I think your blind friend knows. It doesn't matter... as for you, traitor, your punishment will come soon enough," sneered Knives, remarking the last part at the platinum blonde.

"If you think you can stop all six of us, you must be nuts," smirked Dyne, the Oblivion and Oathkeeper manifesting in his hands. "Caejan can't, either. Nor Ansem."

"It won't be up to me, fools. I've brought another friend for you to play with. But I **will** deal with you personally later, Riku. I look forward to it."

Riku took a step forward. He wore a blindfold, but it was obvious he could see, clear as crystal.

"That's enough. You know exactly what lies beyond the gate, and where your destiny lies. You can't deny it, and neither can your master. Nothing will stop us, not even Kydran," he spoke, the deepening of his voice evidence of his maturing. The name rang in Sora's ears. He glanced to Riku, trying to find truth in his expression.

Knives did not respond. Only a cruel grin was given before he took a step back and disappeared into a haze of black power.

They all stood, quietly, for a short time before Sora forged ahead, losing himself in thought. Riku was alive. But was he okay? He wore a blindfold. Why? And why was he sided with the enigmatic man, and Knives, and Ansem? Was Asher's brother, Kydran, also aligned with these unknowns? What about King Mickey? The others followed behind him.

"Sora. Things will work themselves out. Just focus on our goal," reassured Mickey. Sora nodded as they moved into the next lift stop. "The gate lies in the heart of this castle. Where you fought Caejan, where you fought Maleficent, beyond the cathedral."

"...Caejan?"

"Caejan is the name of the being that you've been running into more and more often. The man in black."

"He has a name... he said he was a mere shell. Then, who is Nobody?"

"'...who is Nobody, you ask? Why, they are the non-existent ones'," quoted Riku offhandedly. "Nobody isn't a person. They are a thing. Those white creatures you ran into."

"The Ansem Reports! That's right, they mentioned non-existent ones. Shells, beings without hearts, right?"

"That's right, Sora. But there's a difference between Shells and Nobodies. Nobodies are... beings without hearts, yes, but they have a different origin than the Shells. Caejan is a Shell, a true Shell. Our bodies were Nobodies, once, but when our hearts returned to them, we rejoined, in this... raincoat. The coat is a symbol of the separation. A scar, sort of."

"...nice, Mickey. I think you did well in confusing him," grinned Riku, turning his head to look down at his mousy ally. Mickey chuckled his signature chuckle. By then, they had reached the gate to the Cathedral; no surprise Heartless attacks, a complete lack of Nobodies lurking around corners. This made Sora edgy; another one of those 'It's... _too_ quiet.' situations.

Donald and Goofy seemed completely lost, but it didn't matter to them. Their king had returned. Everything was going to be okay, in the end.

Before them stood the altar, weeping with black energy. A dark haze engulfed the pedestal, a portal to the center of the castle, the very depth of it. All six stood, silently, before it, taking in the enormity of the task before them.

"...Asher told me what Caejan had taught him about Memoria. The place is in chaos," Sora finally said, and Mickey nodded.

"Memoria is ancient," Mickey began. "A lot older than the Disney Kingdom, that's for sure. Older than a lot of the worlds, I think. I've heard and read legends about it, but never really went there. I can't follow you in, either."

"What?" responded Riku, his tone somewhat alarmed. "I don't see why."

"Ansem. Somebody has to stay here and clean up the mess he's making, and I also get the feeling that my kingdom is still in danger, besides. When you get in there, I can't help you any further. This is your fight."

"But you'll see us to the door?"

"Of course! Now, let's go, before Knives or Caejan or Ansem or any of a million people decides to get in our way."

The six entered, single file, into the portal. Sora, like so many times before, felt the strange sinking feeling, of being underwater, lost in the Darkness, before his step carried him out of the portal. His first feeling was an immense _pull_ upward, and he looked. What he saw was astounding.

In the same room where he had combatted the Dragon-Maleficent and the enigmatic man himself, high above them, was a massive, pulsing heart. It couldn't have been there before; that was impossible. Something had opened the gate to the world's heart wide open, and there it was. It picked up what small bits of debris and dust were left from the earlier battles, and threatened to pull the six warriors off of their feet.

Then the Darkness came.

It started as a drip from high above the levitating heart; it turned into a gush, then to a downpour. It spilled over the edges of the crystalline, pulsing form like oil spills over the top of an apple, dripping to the floor like a viscous ooze. The puddles throbbed, spasmed, and began to gather in the center of the room.

Dyne sank into a defensive stance, followed by Riku and Mickey and Goofy and Donald. Sora was still dumbfounded, but called the Kingdom Key to his hand out of instinct. Mickey still held the inverted Kingdom Key. The mage-duck was prepared to launch his array of spells at any given moment.

The immense heart above them had been engulfed entirely by this corporeal Darkness, shifting its light from bright white to emitting a dull blue-black hue, a midnight, neon color, within the arena. The Darkness pooling in the center of the room began to take shape.

The thick puddle pulled upward, slowly, and a humanoid form erected itself, molded itself from the clay that was the Darkness. Countless small tendrils curled and whipped at the air. Leon's silhouette took form. A pair of hollow, glowing yellow eyes glared at them all. A sick smile spread its dark lips, and Sora realized then the similarities between this mutated Leon and Asher's Nemesis.

"...Leon? Is that you?"

Sora got no response from the abomination except for a sharp yank at his ankle. None, except perhaps Mickey (all too late) had realized that the Heartless's inky black tentacles had wormed their way along the ground, toward their feet. Sora's feet were pulled out from under him, and he fell back. His head hit the stone floor with an audible crack, and he groaned, the Kingdom Key slipping from his gloved hand as Leon pulled him along the floor.

Donald and Goofy had suffered a similar fate, and Riku would have as well if not for his catlike reflexes. As the tentacle pulled, the platinum blonde pulled back and retaliated with a strike from the Nail Bat. Mickey was already charging toward the monster, Dyne on his way to Sora's aid.

With a quick flick of the tentacles, Donald was sent hurtling across the battleground and into one of the walls. The duck flopped, unconscious, to the floor. Goofy, however, had managed to get a hold of the tentacle holding him and was beating at it savagely with his shield. Mickey leapt up, slicing the tentacle cleanly in two with his keyblade, and braced himself to jump.

Thus far, Leon had not moved from his spot. The same cruel smile was plastered on his face; it was becoming apparent that, despite the smirk, the monster borne from Leon's heart had no emotion, let alone a sense of irony at the heroes' plight. The smirk was embedded there much like a smirk on a statue; unchanging and meaningless, but disturbing nontheless.

King Mickey was within range. The Inverse Key was cocked back, ready to strike-

A tentacle struck him in the side of the head, having come in from behind.

The King recovered quickly, rebounding off his feet. Riku circled behind the beast, slashing at the tendrils of Darkness which came at him. They were numerous, growing in quantity by the moment despite their maddened hacking and slashing.

Sora shook off the last of the dizziness to find himself several feet in the air, hanging upside-down. Leon's arm, having shifted into a large tentacle, had forked out and taken hold of both of his legs and his left arm. Dyne, below, fought to fend off any other incoming vines, the Oblivion and Oathkeeper dancing through the darkness, arcs of power, dazzling to see. Sora took note not to piss off the blonde-headed kid. Reaching out his free arm, Sora called the Kingdom Key from its place on the ground to his hand. Striking at his bonds, he was freed- and free to fall all the way down to the ground.

Incorporating a creative use of his minor levitating abilities, gained in Neverland, Sora caught a wind-current and, now prepared to drop, held the keyblade high over his head, about to bring it crashing down upon Leon's cranium. The blow would never connect; a mass of the dark tendrils sprouted from the Heartless abomination's head, engulfing him instantly.

Mickey and Riku had avoided the tentacles, and now charged in to strike, Mickey landed one blow, Riku was not so fortunate. The abomination's arm whipped out face them, its statuesque smirk stretched and moving as Sora struggled within his prison. From the beast's eyes (if that's what you could call them) erupted sprays of dark lightning; Riku stumbled back, resisting the dark power as well he could, while Mickey (who was in recovery from his attack) was jolted and thrown backward.

Dyne was soon being surrounded. Leon's actual form was becoming blurred by the number of tentacles he was producing, from all parts of his body. Now, even the floor itself was turning against the fighters. The viscous, liquid Darkness had not finished seeping from the Heart itself. As more globes of it fell, from the created puddles even more tentacles burst.

_Sora...?_

The Keyblade Master had almost stopped struggling against the great exhaustion that had overcome him while locked in the Darkness. The tentacles themselves seemed to sap the fight from him, drawing the Light itself from his heart and shifting it to Darkness. He felt his Light fading, diminishing, until he forced the memory of one voice, Kairi's voice, to sound from the void.

His eyes shot open.

"Sora!"

The Darkness was illuminated instantly, the black void bursting into flames before his eyes. The heat became intense; he felt himself burning alive, and screamed in pain before feeling himself fall. He hit the ground, hard, and looked upward. The globe of Darkness he had been imprisoned in was now just a mass of writhing, burning tentacles. Leon was headless. Sora looked back toward the portal.

Lilka stood there, her arms thrust out, motes of fiery power still bursting from her palms. Cloud was already hacking Mickey and Riku free from the tentacles, and as the two reached the ground, Leon released another spray of dark electricity at the Crest Sorceress.

_Sora, I'm with you._

He scrambled up, reared the Kingdom Key back, and released a roar from deep within so strong that even Cloud was surprised it was his. Sora released a Strike Raid, and as the Kingdom Key flew from his hand, it interjected between the lightning and Lilka. Sora called the weapon back, turned, and let the weapon fly at Leon himself.

The weapon landed a deep cut, for Leon had not even bothered to move. It nearly took the beast's upper half off, and from the gash spewed gouts of this self-directing Darkness. With each drop that landed on the ground, more tentacles formed. Sora shouted, angrily, frustrated at this unstoppable monster. If Leon was like this, what would the Darkheart Crystal itself be capable of...?

Lilka was already releasing another barrage of offensive spells, and with Leon distracted by the full onslaught of Sora, Cloud, Riku, Dyne, Mickey, and even Goofy, she attended to getting Donald back on his feet.

The duck-mage would remain unaided, however, for Lilka was immediately seized, several tentacles wrapping about her upper body, locking her hands away. She screamed in surprise as she was lifted off of her feet.

Her small frame would have been sent flying across the room if Auron's gunblade had not cut her free from the vine holding her. Auron, Aerith, and Yuffie piled into the already-anarchic battleground.

"Yuffie, concentrate on attacking Leon, watch out for the tentacles! Aerith, help Lilka and Donald! I'll help them take on this monster!" commanded Auron, taking charge.

This would prove much more difficult than it sounded. Already, six others were trying to get to Leon, but to no avail- the countless tentacles were proving to be a nearly impossible barrier to overcome. Yet, Auron's added help, and the addition of Lilka, Donald, and Aerith's magic began to turn the tide, in their favor.

The tentacles swirled inward, then, creating a spinning vortex of rock-hard whips, repelling each of the fighters. They wrapped tightly about the monster's form, no longer humanoid, forming a protective shell, an impassable barrier. Mickey, whose unknown's robe had been torn up during the conflict, picked himself up from a corner of the room. The mouse checked himself, then looked about the room. Cloud was unconscious. Riku was hurt. Sora was dazed. Auron was out cold. Goofy was still moving, but was in bad shape. Dyne and Sora were still standing, though, which was a relief. They had been given a short moment of respite...

Yuffie, who had retreated through the portal, returned, looking battered. Aerith and Lilka and Donald set to work repairing the warriors. Sora moved to Riku's side.

"Riku... are you alright?"

The blindfolded young man, who appeared far more mature than when Sora last saw him, smiled slightly, cradling his right arm.

"Ha. Nothing to it. Arm's a little worse for the wear, though. Not a problem."

Lilka approached the two ex-residents of Destiny Islands, smiling brightly in the face of the enemy they were up against, who could awaken at any given moment.

"You look like you could use some help. Here," she said, calling forth the healing magics and directing them at Riku's busted appendage. Soothing relief flowed through the broken bones, and they mended hastily. The ground shuddered.

"I think it's best you guys get out of here. Whatever's in that shell is hurt, we beat up on it pretty good, but it's not down for the count. Please, do it for me," requested Sora. "I'll take Dyne with me. You need to stay too, Riku. I want _you_ to look out for her now. Make sure she's there when I return."

"...no way, Sora. I'm not gonna let you have all the fun," Riku tossed, stepping lightly over to Mickey's side, checking his condition. The platinum blonde and the royal mouse had become close friends during their stay in Kingdom Hearts.

"Nuh-uh! We're gonna stay, and make sure you get to Memoria safely. Until that... thing is finished, we're by your side, a-hyuk! All for one, right?" smiled Goofy, and Sora couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah!" added Donald. "Besides, King Mickey's here and he's staying, so we're staying, too."

"All for one, my behind," Sora said, shaking his head. Despite this, he still felt a great warmth within. "You're all gonna get yourselves killed."

Auron glanced up at the massive heart above them, which was still emitting that twilight glow, and then back to Sora.

"I think we're all dead anyway if you don't get to Memoria. You're our hope, Sora. You have to do this."

This time, Sora did not feel the great weight of his burden, of the title of Keyblade Master, bearing down upon him. He was realizing that it was not his burden alone; they would share it with him. Whether he liked it or not.

"Alright, then... let's finish what we started!"

They all turned to face the shell, which slowly began to lower its wall. The last of its tentacle-making abilities had faded. Now, it was simply the heartless Leon, bearing a solid-Darkness gunblade.

Sora was frozen. The Darkness had done too well of a job recreating Leon's appearance. He felt himself hesitated.

Fortunately, none of the others had.

Leon's form did not last long; under the onslaught of five other warriors and three mages, and it was only a matter of time before the abomination saw defeat, but not before one, last, desperate shot at the Keyblade Master's heart.

Leon shot forward, his 'skin' seeping black energy and with the gunblade raised high above his head. Sora's eyes narrowed, and his hand shot upward, the bright form of the Oathkeeper forming in his hand. There was no resistance from Dyne's will.

The Promise Key was used to deflect the blow from the gunblade. The Kingdom Key manifested in Sora's left hand. The crown-toothed keyblade was plunged into the dark form. If the silhouette could scream, it would. Black tendrils lashed from Leon's body, but it wasn't even Leon's shape anymore; it had been reduced to a writhing glob of blackness, which then seeped and melted and faded away into the floor, as did the darkness engulfing the heart above them.

The portal's vacuuming was resumed instantly.

Sora fought to remain on the ground; he drove the Kingdom Key into the floor, using it as a sort of stake, and watched as the others struggled against the hurricane winds.

"Go! Get out of here!" Sora shouted over the din the wind was creating. Riku and Dyne stayed put; Mickey and Donald and Goofy were waving their goodbyes. Mickey pulled something out of the raincoat, and hurled the shimmering silver bauble to Riku, who caught it easily. The citizens of the Disney Kingdom left.

Auron, Cloud, Aerith, and Yuffie all gave Sora one last final glance, and disappeared through the portal.

"In that light, we will find our gateway. Let's hit it!" exclaimed Dyne, the Oblivion disappearing from his hand. Sora unsummoned each of the keyblades in his possession now, and was sent flying into that heart.

Mickey's voice was the last thing he heard before the Light consumed him.

_Remember, Sora. You will be the one who opens the door._


	14. Memoria

**

* * *

Chapter 12 - ****Memoria

* * *

**

When the feeling of being in a wind-tunnel had passed, Sora calmed. His sharp, quick breaths slowed; he was back in his element. He was in the Light; not The Light, what he was searching for, but it was Light, no question. He felt gravity under his feet, yet felt himself moving upward. It was most like being in an elevator.

He looked around; there was nothing but a vast, shining white as far as he could see. The sound of a slow, methodical thumping reached his ears. Hollow Bastion's very heartbeat. Why was there no Darkness here? It was repaired again, whole. The closing of Kingdom Hearts had shut off the Darkness, at least, that's what he figured. There was so much left to know, to understand.

Sora's thoughts began to drift toward Riku. Immediately, he saw Riku's face before him. Not the mature, adult-looking Riku in the unknown's raincoat; Riku as he was a year ago. Turquoise eyes, cocky smile, yellow outfit, baggy pantaloons. Sora's arms folded, and he smiled. Riku smiled back. The form began to change. Riku's clothing shifted to a darker hue, marked with deep blue, red, sealed with the Heartless crest. In the young man's hands lay the Heart Key.

The brown-headed boy shook his head, not wanting to remember. Not wanting to remember how he had treated his best friend, how he wasn't able to save him from Ansem. His cerulean gaze shifted to the Heart Key itself. From the heart-outlining teeth to its crimson base, it seemed to be wickedness incarnate. Then Sora noticed an inconspicuous difference between the keyblade created by the Princesses and the keyblade Asher wielded.

Asher's keyblade had a keychain. The key created to free Kairi's heart did not.

Thoughts of Asher altered Riku's image, shifting it into a copy of the red-haired Id. Anger welled within Sora like bile. That rat. He had taken all of Asher's memories from him, and would have kept him that way, and now he was Caejan's lapdog.

Not wishing to see any more, he cleared his mind. The silhouette disappeared. He began to wonder where his friends were; Dyne and Riku, at least. He stepped forward, his shoes thumping loudly, echoing endlessly. He continued walking, examining the area about him. Nothing but white and that soft hum of heart-energy.

"Riku...? Dyne...?

His voice echoed, much louder than his shoes did. Faintly, he heard Riku's voice come back at him.

"Sora. Follow my voice."

"Riku! You made it okay, right? Dyne, too?"

There was a long silence, though Sora had begun his walk.

"Yeah. Keep walking."

Sora walked, still. Pausing, inhaling, he then lunged forward into a full sprint. He wanted to find Riku, find Dyne, find the gate to Memoria. Soon.

"Keep following. Come on, Sora, I know you're faster than that."

Sora released a burst of speed, charging headlong in the direction of that voice. Step, step, step... and, before he knew it, his foot suddenly dropped elevation, as if he had stepped off of the edge of the world. His body followed quickly behind it.

He fell through the Light, the Light of Hollow Bastion. Soon, the Light became so bright he could not longer see and was forced to shut his eyes, cover them with his hands, and still it worked through. He saw images; images of Hollow Bastion's past, of Ansem's experimentation with the Heartless, of Ansem meeting with King Mickey, farther back, further and further and further until he saw Hollow Bastion before it was ever Hollow Bastion. The falls had not always flowed upward, and this world had existed within a sea called Atlantica. The sea from which so many people from so many other worlds fished in and boated over. Once, the worlds were one, and Sora had been given the privilege to see that great pangaea, or at least the part that Hollow Bastion had occupied.

The light faded. Sora's body hit the surface of the water, and he fell further and further into the dark depths of it. Yet, as he fell, he then felt the sensation that up and down were no longer of any importance, that they no longer existed. Then, he felt yanked upward by some immense force, rocketing upward, higher, higher-

Dyne slapped him on the back, hard. Riku stood beyond the edge of the waters, arms folded, looking ahead, at the path before them. Sora uncovered his eyes, and looked.

He didn't see any forks in the road, which was good, but the sheer strangeness of this new environment was unsettling. They all stood upon a singular platform, which was surrounded on all sides by water. The azure liquid spanned about five feet of distance from the edge of the platform. Sora's wet clothes indicated that he had awakened there, in the water.

Ahead of them (the only way to go) was a cobblestone path, narrow, which led to another platform. Sora looked down. The ground he stood on hovered in this endless void, a broken-down slab of pavement from which sprung gnarled, dying weeds. He frowned, and looked over his company.

Riku was standing before the path ahead, looking, taking in his surroundings. Dyne was still checking if Sora was okay.

And then there was Lilka.

"How did we end up here?" queried the Crest Sorceress, moving from the edge of the platform to Sora's side. She had been looking at the waters. The platform was surrounded in a pool of water, but the water seemed to taper off, falling forever into the void. It was as if they had found the edge of a world.

"I'm not entirely sure _how_, but I think Riku did it. He was the first to get here. We just followed," replied Dyne, satisfied that Sora was unhurt. The boy moved to Riku's side. "This is a very weird place. I never thought I'd see it."

"I don't think we're supposed to," spoke Riku, finally. His gloved hands reached to the back of his head, where he straightened the black blindfold he wore. "Nobody is ever supposed to enter this place. It's as if it's quarantined. Don't you think we would have heard something about it beforehand, Sora? You, as the Keyblade Master, especially."

"Asher just told me to find Memoria. The Door to the Light is supposed to be here. He said something about..."

His voice trailed off, and he delved through the memories and the advice that his black-haired friend, who was lost somewhere now, had given him.

"He said, 'The Door to the Light, tied by two keys'. I think he meant the Oblivion and Oathkeeper."

"'Door to the Light'? No, the door to the Darkness is tied by two keys. He must have his lines crossed," stated Dyne, who turned to look at Lilka. The sorceress appeared completely confused.

"No, he said Door of Light, specifically. Maybe they're both tied?"

"Could be. Anyway, we need to get going. We're in for a long trip, I'm sure of it," spoke Riku. The blindfolded unknown moved off onto the cobblestone path.

"Sora. Do you think I'll be able to get back to Fargaia from here? Do you think Pandora's here, somewhere?" asked Lilka, slowly getting her feet to walk.

"I don't know. If every world has a gate to Memoria, and we can get here, I'm sure we can get back, somehow, too. And Pandora might be here. The memory of her, anyway. But this place weirds me out, so let's mosey," replied Sora, and Lilka followed.

* * *

Back in the Kingdom, those who had helped Sora in his fight to reach the edges of Memoria walked into Hollow Bastion's great hall to regroup. They had no gummi ship. They had no Crest Sorceress. They had no way off of Hollow Bastion. 

"...uh, d'you think he'll be alright?" asked Goofy, who walked beside Donald. The both of them straggled far behind. King Mickey led the entourage, and he appeared deep in thought.

"Don't worry. You really think Sora can't take care of himself?"

"It _is_ Memoria, after all."

"Aw, phooey! He's with his friend, Riku. And the other guy. If he can't make it, they'll help him. No problem."

Mickey paused in the center of the antechamber. Cloud, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, Goofy, and Donald each stalled, watching the short-statured King with undivided attention.

"...where's Lilka?" inquired Yuffie, eyeing over the group. No crest sorceress was present.

"She followed him," replied Cloud, who proceeded to hoist the immense Buster Sword over his shoulder, careful not to club Aerith while he was at it.

"I wonder if we'll be able to find a way off of this world," thought Yuffie aloud. She turned to Mickey. "The guys in the coats are still around, right?"

The King appeared thoughtful, and then looked to the others.

"Only one of them is here now. From what Riku told me, their leader has plans to keep Sora from opening the Door. Two of them left, I think, shortly after we started to fight with that monster-"

"He had a name, you know," retorted Yuffie, giving the King a dirty look. She took a wavering breath, apologized, and listened.

"I'm sorry, Yuffie. But two of them left, their leader departed to the realm of Darkness, and the last one... he remains in this castle."

"You Majesty? Uhhh... where was it that Sora went, exactly?" asked Donald. "They called it Memoria, right?"

The raincoated mouse turned to his court mage, and nodded.

"Long, long ago, at the beginning of everything, the Kingdom was a peaceful place, filled with Light. Everything originated from thgere. All the worlds were connected, everything was one big world. They called that realm Memoria. Do any of you remember the fairy tale?"

"Sure, I remember. Nanny always used to tell the tale," Yuffie responded. "When Hollow Bastion was overrun, she was taken by the Heartless. She knew so much."

"It wasn't just a fairy tale. Well, some of it's untrue, but most of it really happened," the King continued. "But Memoria fell apart. It became ruined. The people there, who lived and thrived because of the Light and their memories, succumbed to Darkness. When they became forgotten, and forgot each other, they became the Nobody."

Aerith sighed, moving toward the fountain, away from cloud. She watched the water fall, gathering her thoughts. The others turned their gazes to look at her.

"Aerith? What is it?" asked Yuffie, not a little worried.

"You know, this is our home, Yuffie. I don't think I want to leave. We should stay."

"What are you talking about?" queried Auron, frowning. "There's a black-coat in here, the basement levels are crawling with Heartless, and who knows what else?"

"I know," responded Aerith, turning to face them all. Her eyes were sad. "But we really don't have a way out of here anyway. I just..."

"Aerith, what's wrong?" asked Cloud, leaning on his Buster Sword.

"You know we're all going to be destroyed, right?" she said, tears forming in her eyes. "There's no way to survive it. The stars are all blinking out. The monster that destroyed Traverse Town is destroying everything, and we can't stop it. Sora is out last hope. If he doesn't bring everything back, it's all over."

"Aerith, don't you trust Sora?" asked Goofy. "If anyone can do it, he can."

She nodded, dropping her eyes from the rest of them down to the ground.

"I do trust him. But..."

"Don't worry about it," grinned Yuffie. "Sure, the Darkness is probably going to swallow us before Sora gets rid of it forever, but he'll set things right again."

The flower girl smiled, and brightened a little.

"Well... let's see if we can't find a way off of this castle," she said. "If we're going to wait for Sora to do what he needs to do, I'd rather not do it here."

The others were relieved, and they all moved out of the hall, toward the outside of the castle. They left their hope and their trust on Sora, and pushed on.

* * *

Platform upon platform upon platform. They seemed endless, as if the four of them would keep walking forever. 

Sora moseyed along, hands behind his head, a distant yet contented look upon his face. Lilka looked about, constantly, as if expecting danger in this unfamiliar territory. Riku walked beside Dyne, doing very well for a blindfolded man. They were all quiet, however, so Sora had plenty of time to daydream.

Some of the platforms resembles pieces of certain worlds. One platform was made of a sandy, beachlike surface with a palm tree sprouting from it. Some were intricate stained-glass artworks, others were chunks of cement or boulders, some big, some small, but each one different. The bridgelike paths between them all were never of the same length, either, but none were short.

Lilka, bored with the scenery, turned to Sora.

"So... you knew Kydran, right? Before the Coliseum?"

"His name's Asher, and I knew him a long time before the Coliseum."

"Oh... so you knew Pandora, too, right?"

"Pandora... I don't know Pandora, but I know that they knew each other way before Traverse Town."

"They sure acted like it. You shoulda seen her! She was all over him," giggled Lilka, and Sora shook his head. His thoughts had been drifting toward his own love, Kairi, who he still hoped- no. Not hoped. _Knew_ she was waiting for him, on the Destiny Islands, far away from where he was. Would he ever keep his promise?

"Sora," Riku called. Sora's arms fell from the back of his head to his sides as he jogged ahead. Dyne had drifted farther back, his pace slowed a little, so the Keyblade Master was able to pull up beside his childhood friend.

"What is it, Riku?" questioned Sora, whose thoughts of Kairi had dissipated. His focus was now on the platinum blonde, the concept of Riku. He had a lot of questions to ask.

"It's good to see you again, Sora," Riku said, somewhat sentimentally. This statement caused the brown-headed boy to grin from ear to ear.

"You too, Riku."

There was a long silence as they continued to walk.

"So, uh... I guess you already know what I'm gonna ask."

"What happened after we closed the door, right?" responded Riku, smiling lopsidedly.

"Yeah."

"The door to the Light is not behind the Darkness. Mickey found that out, but we stayed anyway. We had to close Kingdom Hearts. It was the only way to stop the Darkness from spreading any further. We found something out, though," began Riku. Sora was completely silent, listening. "When Ansem opened the door to the Darkness, he had no idea he was being manipulated. Caejan had been residing within Kingdom Hearts, though Mickey never did understand why. When the Door was opened, Caejan was set free. The King and I traveled all over Kingdom Hearts, looking for a way out, since neither of us could get out through the Door anymore, and... the hole opened."

"Hole?"

"I never got a good look at the Heartless monster, and I don't think I wanted to. All I got to see was this... mass of tentacles. Pure Darkness. It opened a hole in the walls. Think of Kingdom Hearts like a house with only the one front door. This thing _bashed_ through the walls instead of trying to go out the front door. So Mickey and I just... walked out."

"Then?"

"We found Caejan, Kydran, Knives, and Dyne in a place called Clockwork Town. We both mistook Dyne for you in a black cloak; it was so weird. He had had his own 'awakening', like you did, right before waking up there. I'm sure Asher had and 'awakening', too, before the Town was destroyed. Since Caejan was looking for another crony to help him keep things the way he wanted him, I decided to play as a double agent in Caejan's little club for both Dyne and the King."

"You called him Asher."

"What?"

"You called him Asher!"

"Of course I did, that's his name. The kid with the black-and-red hair."

Sora was silent, and the gears in his mind were churning.

"So I joined Caejan and the others and we went to Hollow Bastion. I wanted to see if Ansem had survived the blast of Light that Mickey used, anyway. It toasted him, but he was still alive in Hollow Bastion. It wasn't until then that I realized that Ansem's shed body is working with Caejan as well."

"So Ansem was right, his body _didn't_ perish. What about his four-realms theory?"

"I heard all about it. He knew there had to be four realms, created when Darkness was created. The realm of Light, the realm of Darkness, the In-Between, and the Kingdom."

"Memoria, Kingdom Hearts, wherever it is that the bodies go, and... home."

"No doubt."

"How come you can see? Why are you wearing that blindfold?"

"I think it looks cool," grinned Riku. Sora shook his head. Still Riku. "When Mickey blasted Ansem, he was still using my body. The Light blinded me. In the Darkness, though, you don't really need to see. There's no light to see with. You begin to discern Light and Darkness and heart-energy. Dealing with Caejan was difficult."

"Why?"

"He has no heart."

"What? That's impossible. Only dead or things that aren't alive don't have hearts, and even then they usually have a heart."

"The King thought it was impossible, too, but it's true. I can't tell Caejan from a rock, except for this unnerving feeling whenever he's nearby. Like-"

"Something unnatural."

"Yeah."

Sora slowed his gait as they reached yet another platform. He came to a complete stop, his brow furrowing, his arms folding. Riku paused as well, followed by Lilka and Dyne. The crest sorceress and the dual wielder had been exchanging words, and Lilka did not look at all comfortable around the unknown with the blonde hair.

"Up ahead. The path disappears."

It was true. The platform-path seemed to disappear into a thick fog, very similar to the mist on a freezing morning after a rain. This mist flowed, however, as if there was a powerful wind forcing it to move. Beyond, Sora could make out a bleak shape, though exactly what it was impossible to tell- it may even have been his eyes playing tricks on him.

"Fog," Riku spoke. "But it's not real fog. It's mixed... Light and Darkness, fighting."

They continued forward, slowly, reaching the edge of the fog. Sora looked back towards Dyne and Lilka, and Dyne shrugged and moved forward.

"This is dumb. It's just fog," stated the blonde-haired unknown, flatly, and he pressed on. Sora sighed, and followed. Lilka moved ahead of Riku, and Riku took up the flank.

* * *

"Maybe we can salvage the old ship?" suggested Yuffie, but the mere idea of it was ridiculous. The gummi ship they had rode in on must have been laying on the bottom of the ocean by now. The ninja let out a massive sigh. 

Cloud, Aerith, and Cid had been left to exploring the castle for parts. Goofy, Auron, Donald, Mickey, and Yuffie waited at the Rising Falls, looking for any debris of any sort. Mickey hopped agilely from floating rock to floating rock, checking each one for remains of their ship.

"Forget it! We're never gonna get off this world!" cried Donald after a long while of searching. Goofy appeared worried, for once, and Auron was clearly frustrated.

The waters of the Rising Falls, for one moment, did not flow upward.

"Do you feel that?" questioned Mickey, glancing over his shoulder at Auron. The warrior frowned, and glanced up at the sky. He _did_ feel a little cold.

"Not really," responded Auron after a short moment. "Why? Is something coming this way?"

"Yes. It's the same force I felt in Kingdom Hearts... before we were set free," answered Mickey. He froze. "Yes, something is coming this way. I can see it."

The entire group raised their gazed to one of the walls of the rising falls, to which Mickey was pointing. An immense black form, distorted in the water, was growing steadily larger. It was moving their way.

"Hurry! Get back to the top! RUN!" cried Mickey, he turned swiftly and began his ascent up the floating stones, the ruined structures.

The black form erupted through the falls.

* * *

Lilka looked about, nervously. The fog itself was making her edgy, alarmed. She didn't feel the least bit comforted by Sora's reassurances that they would make it through, nor by the fact that she was with three very powerful young men, each of which were fighting for the Light. The mist had gotten so thick they could not even make out the path ahead of them, so they spent a lot of time time merely trying to find the next bridge from platform to platform. 

The crest sorceress edged closer to the Keyblade Master as Dyne covered the perimeter of the next huge platform upon which they stood. She wrapped her arms about his left bicep, and nearly jumped out of his skin. He wriggled his arm, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, but she held fast. Resigning from the resistance, he justified it as doing Lilka a favor.

"Sora, this place really worries me," stated Lilka. Riku and Dyne had already started down the next cobblestone bridge, so both Sora and Lilka began to follow.

"Me too, but we have to keep moving forward. Dyne, how far do you think we have to go?" called Sora, trying to look as casual and relaxed as possible while in a strange, frightening place with an equally strange girl clinging to his arm.

"I don't know. It's impossible to tell in this fog."

The girl gave Sora's arm a tug before they stepped onto the next bridge.

"Sora..."

"What is it?"

"...remember me."

The boy appeared clearly confused. Forget her? Not as long as she was glued to his arm. It was a strange request, but Sora trusted instinct over brains, even if it wasn't his own instinct.

"...okay."

Riku meandered behind Dyne, who had volunteered himself to be the trailblazer of the group. He had to watch Dyne carefully, watch his heart-signal, so similar to Sora's. There was the same sort of _vibration_ there, as if some piece of Sora had been imprinted on him, or still remained. It reminded him of...Home. He used to play with Sora a lot, back home, on the Destiny Islands. That place seemed so far away now, its sandy, sunny beaches and pristine waters. The island, where the children would all go to play. They had had such a great time there, where everything was so simple, so clean. There was no Darkness then, no matters of right or wrong because everything was right...

Riku grinned, glancing over at Sora. Right, like today. The platinum blonde, much shorter now, stood straight up, turquoise eyes sparkling. He lifted the newly crafted wooden sword up, and gave it a few test swings. His brown-headed friend picked up his own new sword, smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm gonna kick your butt, Sora. You don't got what it takes to beat me," stated Riku, thumbing towards himself, shaking his head to reiterate his point. "You can be my sidekick, though."

Sora sank into a combating stance, grinning. Maybe he couldn't beat Riku, but he would try.

Dyne simply continued walking, unaware of what was happening to Riku, unaware that the fog was doing its work. Nothing but gray fog, nothing but the void beyond that gray void. Like sleep. Maybe he would wake up...

His eyes opened. The fog was gone. Everything seemed so perfectly clear. Dying light filled the alleyway. The boy picked himself up off the ground, looking at his hands. They didn't seem so familiar anymore. For a moment, he could have sworn that he was wearing black gloves, and black sleeves covered his wrists... no. That wasn't the case.

He stepped out of the alleyway, slowly, not really thinking but his mind not blank, either. He hadn't the presence of mind to ask himself where he was. He was in... Hollow Bastion, wasn't he? No, this place was not dark. Hadn't he been in a dark place?

Dyne kept walking.

Sora's mind focused on Lilka. Where had she come from, anyway? She knew Asher, seemed pretty familiar with Pandora, so she couldn't be all bad. His blue eyes, which had been focused on the ground, shifted upward, to make sure Riku was still there. He stopped. Lilka's attention was lifted upward, as will, and she glanced then up to Sora.

Riku was no longer solid.

It was as if something was eating away at him, pieces of him were being removed. His outline was still solid, but he was growing transparent, incorporeal. He panicked, recalling his childhood friend, releasing Lilka, bounding ahead.

"Riku!"

"...bring it on, Sora!"

The little brown-haired boy charged the slightly older Riku. He swung his own sword at Sora, and the two blades clacked together loudly. The two seemed perfectly satisfied with the sound, and proceeded to spar with a little more intensity.

"No, don't fade away!"

"What?"

Riku parried away a strike, and backslid into a halt. Frowning, he looked the other boy over.

"What's the matter?"

"Come back, Riku!"

"Sora, you sure I didn't bonk you too hard?"

There was a long silence. What Riku was seeing as Sora halted suddenly, his face twisted, as if there were two forces fighting for control of the image. Then the boy shook off the look, and extended a hand.

"Riku... take my hand. Come on. Come back."

"...Sora...?"

"Please. You wanna go on an adventure, right? I know where we can find one!"

The platinum blonde held still, silently considering his friend for a moment... then stepped forward, and placed his hands in Sora's.

Sora had suddenly gained in strength, became immensely strong. Riku was lifted off his feet, flew forward, rocketed out of his body-

and stumbled ahead, his form solid once more. His step was wobbly, he was clearly disoriented. His foot slipped. His body toppled over the edge of the cobblestone bridge.

"No! Riku!" cried Sora, diving forward, launching a hand out, catching Riku by his wrist. Riku groaned. Sora's eyes were huge, panicked, and he fought to pick himself up, drag Riku back onto the edge. He glanced toward Dyne. Dyne was no longer corporeal. Further alarmed, his eyes fixed on Lilka. The girl had dropped to her knees, and was growing less and less solid by the moment.

Sora felt his shoe slip toward the edge of the bridge; he was losing traction. One foot slid out from under him, and he dropped, hard, on one knee. He dug the heels of each shoe into the cobblestone, and somehow managed to stop himself from going over into the abyss, Riku in tow.

His feet began to slide again.


	15. Through

**

* * *

Chapter 13 - ****Through

* * *

**

There were few truly critical moments, where the fate of Sora and his supposed destiny or the role he was to fulfill hung by a strand of hair, where they all walked a razor edge. This was one of them, but Mickey had planned well.

"Riku... hold on! No...! Argh...!" cried Sora, his sneakers losing the last of there grip. He fell forward, his gloved hand still locked on Riku's own.

Riku, coming to, looked up at Sora, who was about to topple over the edge of the bridge. His hand was flung out to one side, where he grasped the hilt of the materializing Inverse Key. With a grunt, he swung the weapon upward and caught the teeth on the edge of the bridge. Sora cried out, surprised, when instead of falling into the abyss, he was hanging onto Riku's hand.

"Sora, hold on. I'm going to swing you up," stated Riku, and with an affirmative nod, Sora readied himself. Riku began rocking the boy back and forth, straining with each swing. Finally, with enough momentum achieved, Sora was hurled up onto the pavement, where he grabbed a hold of the edge and scrambled up, rushing toward Lilka.

Lilka and Dyne were still in danger, their bodies and their memories blending more and more with Memoria's chaotic byproduct.

"Riku! Call Dyne back, anchor him down!" Sora called over his shoulder as Riku fought to hoist himself over the edge.

"How?" asked the blindfolded one, who made his way toward the dissipating form that had once been Dyne. He could tell, through his own strange vision, that the fog, which was a byproduct of conflicting Light and Darkness, was begin to _eat_ away at Dyne's existence, was beginning to turn him into the mist itself.

"Remember him! Recall all the memories you have of him, I'll try to bring Lilka back!" replied Sora, who had slid down onto his hands and knees, looking into Lilka's now-transparent face.

Dyne sat upon the immense clocktower, smiling, holding his trophy in his hands. He had won it in one of the local tournaments; it seemed that the people of Twilight Town enjoyed a good fight. His two keyblades, which he had decided to call the Oblivion and Oathkeeper (for no apparent reason) had served him well. Three other young people, his age, sat with him, each of which had participated in this tournament. Dyne grinned, plucked out the 'consolation prize' that everybody had received, and held it out to the dying sun. The blue gem glinted. Dyne felt good.

One of the children turned, suddenly, and with a voice that wasn't her own, spoke softly.

"Dyne, can you hear me? This is Riku."

The blonde-haired kid turned to look at the girl. The other two children also glanced her way, nervously. Dyne's expression was one that could best be described as nostalgically baffled, and had the situation not been so outrageous, the other children would have laughed.

"...who the hell is Riku?"

The blindfolded unknown fought to recall what few memories of Dyne that he could as vividly as possible; he was not faring well.

"Dyne. We're in Memoria. The mist, it's destroying you. Come back."

The dual wielder stood up, perplexed, and backed away. Something was not right. His foot came precariously close to the edge of the clock tower's overhang.

Then, quite suddenly, the ground felt as though it was breaking out from under him. His body was rocked upward, he felt yanked off of the floor, and when he felt his head was about to explode from the pressure-

His eyes opened, and he was looking at where Riku's eyes should have been. He frowned, turned to look around, and found that Sora was next to Riku. Lilka stood beyond them, focusing her thoughts.

"Dyne. Keep thinking about me. Riku will keep thinking about you. I'll think about Lilka, and she'll think about Riku. We'll all be anchored. If you don't, the mist will eat us all."

Still a little dazed, Dyne nodded dumbly and got to his feet. Sora led the way this time, driving them all from platform to platform, fearlessly, in perfect trust. It didn't take much effort for Dyne to keep Sora in his thoughts.

The blonde-haired kid's blue eyes (Sora's eyes) were burning with anger at the condescending lecture he had just received. Who was this homohaired freak to tell him what to do? He would have been just fine. He had everything under control. Sora didn't control him, he wasn't the leader, the boss. He felt himself ready to open his mouth and launch a verbal assault upon the Keyblade Master when, instead, Sora spoke.

"You guys feel that?" called the boy, looking over his shoulders at the others.

"Yeah. We're close," responded Riku, his pace quickening, his thoughts focused on the Crest Sorceress.

"I don't feel anything," said Lilka, her voice changed from its normal light and happy tone to one of frustrated anxiety. It sounded so out of place that Sora stopped to look at her. She did not look back. He frowned.

Dyne was silent.

The Keybearer turned and followed the bridge to the next platform. What he found next was less of a platform, and more of a floating continent.

The fog was a little lighter in this small ring of land encircling the Gates of Memoria, though from circular ventilations shafts in the wall he could tell that Memoria was where the fog itself was emanating from. The mist spewed out from the vent openings, reminding Sora of the smog-pipes that had he had seen somewhere in one of Asher's memories...

The wall extended, well rooted in the ground, from the surface to infinity, stretching upward into the fog until Sora could no longer see. He expected that it went upward forever, had no top. Ahead of him was the Gate itself.

It was as simple as a pair of immense doors, one white, one black. While the walls were gray, eroded by the fog, the Gate was completely untouched. Embedded in the doorway, however, was a massive relief of the symbol Sora had seen on the white creatures' foreheads. On either side of the symbol were two keyholes, one emblazoned and gilded with gold, the other with some manner of black steel, gold on black, black on white.

Sora stepped forward and prepared to call the Oblivion and Oathkeeper to his hands. Riku stopped him.

"Sora... be careful. I have a bad feeling about this. Like..."

Riku sank into thought for a moment, and then continued.

"It's like every fiber of my being is saying not to open that door," finished the platinum blonde.

The brown-haired boy turned and offered an awkward smile.

"Riku, this is the only choice we have. Our only chance. This is the way to get all the worlds back, to save Asher and Pandora and everybody else who was destroyed by the Darkness. Mickey said the castle was in danger. If they failed... then we can save them."

Dyne had his back turned, still silent.

Lilka appeared conflicted within herself, as if trying to decide whether to say something, be silent, be happy, stay, run, express her feelings, or let herself feel miserable. She was in no condition to say anything.

Riku called the Inverse Key to his hand.

"Dyne. Catch," called Riku, who then tossed the Nail Bat to Dyne. The dual wielder did not bother catching it; instead, as Dyne swerved his body out of the way, the Nail Bat sailed past, clattering to the ground.

"I already have my keyblades," he muttered, still looking back into the fog. Riku's brows furrowed, while Sora's eyes narrowed.

"_Your_ keyblades? We've been over this already. They're not yours. One of them isn't even mine," spoke Sora, his voice threatening. Dyne turned his own blue-eyed glare at Sora.

"No, both of them are mine. They came to me, when _I_ Awakened, and I don't care what you think, or whose you think they are. You don't even want to be the Keyblade Master, you don't deserve it," growled Dyne. Lilka looked from one to the other, unsure of what to say. Riku stepped in between them.

"What's your problem? We're stuck at the gate of some broken-down old world, we can't go home, we have nothing but danger ahead and you two can't even get along?"

"Give them to me, Dyne."

"No."

"Now!"

"Both of you, stop fighting already!" cried Lilka, moving next to Riku. The blindfolded man faced Dyne, while Lilka stared Sora down. "Over something as petty as a weapon or rank. Who cares!"

Sora's aggressive stance shifted back, indicating that he was ready to strike a deal. Dyne was still firing a venomous glare at the Keybearer from the other side of Riku.

"Fine, give me the Oathkeeper back and I'll let you hold onto the Oblivion," muttered Sora, after a moment of hateful silence, and after another quiet period Dyne responded with a 'Fine.'

Dyne called both of the weapons to his hands, and the tossed the Oathkeeper over Riku and into Sora's right hand. Sora turned immediately toward the door, extended his left hand, and called with all his power to the Oblivion. The weapon slipped easily into his grip, and Sora then pointed both weapons at the door. Dyne, livid, tried to shout in protest, but his voice was drowned by the sudden resonance between the Oblivion, the Oathkeeper, and the door.

The blonde dove forward, arm extended to attempt to manhandle one of the two memory-keys out of Sora's hands, and was frozen still in that position. Riku did not move from his place. Lilka was frozen with her hands clasped before her chest, a worried expression on her face. The Oblivion and Oathkeeper were frozen in place. Everything had lost its color. Sora looked to his left to see Dyne and Riku, to his right to find Lilka. He tried to let go of the Oblivion and Oathkeeper, but his hands were frozen. His arms were frozen. Even his neck- was it even his body that was moving anymore?

Then, slowly, he watched as energy, of both purest light and deepest darkness, swirled about his weapons. When both the keyblades were immersed in this power, it jetted forth, white energy pouring into the symbol itself while Darkness seeped into the door itself. It was like watching water fill a large pool or a cup; the Light filled the symbol as the Darkness trapped it. Then, as the door brimmed with this power, it faded away, slowly. Agonizingly slowly, and eternity packed into a fraction of a second.

Sora's back exploded with pain, as did the back of his head. He came skidding to a halt, lifting himself up at the waist, shielding his eyes from the sudden bright flare which burst forth from the gate. Lifting himself up, he looked around, alarmed, frightened, for his friends. Riku was behind him, helping Lilka to her feet. He could not see Dyne anywhere.

Before he became aware of what was really going on, the Gate began to pull the Keyblade Master in. He had opened the Door, now he would enter whether he liked it or not. He stumbled forward, caught in the immense vortex, which was now sucking everything- debris, people, and Mist alike- into its maw. Sora was no longer able to keep his balance, nor control of where he was going; he both tumbled forward and was lifted off of his feet and pulled through the Door.


	16. LF TTCBS 3

**

* * *

Lost Fragments - ****The Traverse Town Cup Battle Series**

**Part 3

* * *

**

Lilka was practically hyperventilating when they dragged her back into the waiting area. A crowd gathered all around, made up of both concerned individuals and the other warriors. Aerith was kneeling beside the girl, attempting to utilize her spells to calm the girl, but she was terrified. The monster that Reverend had summoned had made such an impact on her mind that the flower girl of Hollow Bastion was afraid for her sanity.

Kydran stood over Lilka, Sora beside him. The black-haired boy's arms were folded, though his emerald eyes reflected his concern. Sora was leaning forward, trying to see if Aerith's magic was working or not.

After a while, Lilka's breathing slowed, and she managed to get control of herself. She still wasn't talking, but it had been enough to make the majority of her audience lose interest. As the crowd around her dissipated, Sora finally spoke.

"What happened? Reverend made monster, and she cowed. It wasn't even _that_ scary."

"Not to you, Sora, but something is definitely wrong here," responded Aerith softly. The Crest Sorceress, finally aware of the flower girl's presence, clung to her. "The first abomination he made didn't seem to faze her, but the second one…"

Kydran, his expression thoughtful, chipped in his two cents.

"Remember when he disappeared for a moment before that monster came? Maybe he went somewhere to get it. He'd been there the whole time with the first one. The second one, I don't know. Probably has something to do with it, though."

"You might be right, Kydran," replied Aerith, holding the shivering girl. Lilka was finally beginning to get over the shock. "All we know for now is that Reverend is very dangerous. If he knew what to summon to make her instantly helpless… he could probably do it again."

"Well, at least he's reasonable, I guess," remarked Kydran, turning to move to the stands so he could watch the next match. "The monster could have swallowed her whole, but he didn't kill her."

Lilka finally managed to get a few words out.

"Th… thank y-you, for h-h-helping me," she stammered, trying to get to her feet. Sora reached a hand out to help her to her feet. "It was… I… I don't know what happened…"

"It's okay. You're safe now," said Aerith, standing. She smiled. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, I think I'll be alright. It's just… that monster…"

"What was it?" asked Sora. "Why did it frighten you so badly?"

"I… it's silly. It can't have even been real."

"Well, stranger things have been known to happen," said Aerith. Sora nodded.

"I, uh," Lilka began. "When I was little, my sister disappeared. She was a very powerful sorceress, she was almost the best. And then, one day, she never came back."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," sympathized Aerith.

"I always used to imagine there was this invincible monster that took her away from me," continued Lilka. "I mean, I don't think she was killed. I think that maybe she just went away. But that monster… somehow he was able to pull it out of my head and make it real. I felt this little tug, and I thought maybe it was just the monster messing with me, but… he went in my head somehow. He had to have."

"Wow," murmured Sora. "Well, don't worry. It's over now. So, what are you doing here, fighting in this tournament?"

"Oh, this was just a stop on the way to Traverse Town," she replied. Then, she was thoughtful for a moment, almost grinning. "See, I used a magical stone the wrong way, I guess, and wound up aboard a gummi ship. The people gave me a ride here, and they told me that if I were looking for somebody, Traverse Town would be the best place to go. They weren't on their way there, but they told me I could hitch a ride from here to there. But now that Traverse Town's gone…"

"Well, we really don't know what we're going to do, either," said Sora. "But we'll see what we can do for you. We'll be here until the tournament ends; in the meantime, we'll figure something out. I'm gonna go find Kydran. See you!"

Both Aerith and Lilka watched the boy go.

"He's really nice," commented Lilka when Sora was out of sight.

Aerith smiled, and chuckled a little.

"Lilka, do you know what a Keyblade is?"

"Never heard of one."

"Sora is the Keyblade Master; we also call him the Keybearer. He is the one chosen by the Keyblade, a weapon that is essential to our survival, to find the Door to the Light and release the Light, so that the Darkness that has been swallowing all the worlds will go away forever."

Lilka's eyes rose in surprise.

"Really? He's cute, but he doesn't look like much of a fighter," said Lilka.

"Sora's very powerful, but his strength isn't in his physical power. It's in his heart."

"What do you mean?"

"The Keyblade doesn't choose just anybody; it chooses the person with the strongest heart, and Sora's heart is incredibly strong. The Light in his heart is just as strong. The Keyblade reflects the strength of his heart; it's what makes him so strong. He's the only thing the Darkness fears now."

"Wow," murmured Lilka, followed shortly by the sound of the next match's start. She smiled to Aerith. "Well, why don't we go watch? This match should be interesting."

The flower girl nodded, and the two walked out of the waiting area.

* * *

Syne sized up his opponent, and found himself severely outweighed. 

The brown-haired young man, bearing a pair of razor-sharp kamis, was among the fastest people he knew. There was no way he could allow himself to come into the grip of the giant Kull, who looked to be as intelligent as a butter knife; the man, though unarmed, appeared able to crush his head between thumb and forefinger. Where the giant also bore plates of armor on his fists, the outer edges of his limbs, his shoulders, and his head, Syne had nothing but his brown pants and leather vest.

Kull in the meantime, was already grinding his feet into the ground to get better footing for a charge. The giant already knew his strategy; crush the little bug on the opposite end of the arena. Unfortunately, perhaps, for Syne, this fight was not using the full arena, but was, rather, the smaller one used for normal fights.

Syne had only just found a few of the straps in Kull's armor and had nearly devised a strategy when the trumpets sounded for the battle to begin. Syne's heart began to pound.

Kull roared powerfully enough to shake Syne's smaller frame. The smaller man braced himself, readying for his reaction. Kull neared him much faster than he could have expected.

The giant's fist was drawn back, and Syne grinned. The fist came down, a blur of power, but Syne was too quick for the giant. Kull's fist rocketed down and slammed into the ground where Syne had been only an instant before. Syne was only inches away from his old spot, and with the new target, made two quick slashes at the straps on Kull's exposed arm. There was the dull clank as steel hit the floor, and the sound of a rushing fist.

Kull's other arm came barreling toward Syne, and he quickly dropped down, making another two slashes at the plates of armor on that arm. Rolling out of the way of Kull's foot as he attempted to step on Syne, the man bounced to his feet and backslid out of the way of the next punch. With another slash, Syne opened up a long gash along all of Kull's fingers.

The giant shouted in surprise, and then roared in Syne's face. Something about the roar froze the young man in his tracks; there was something primal in it, something that triggered his animal instinct that told him to be afraid.

Kull swatted the paralyzed boy aside, and he went flying into one of barriers of the arena. He made no noise during this, and seemed only faintly aware it had happened. The crowd gasped, and many of the female and weak-stomached onlookers had to look away.

Syne dropped to the ground, the barrier having done its job. Coughing, he picked himself up. Each breath brought a sharp pain through his chest, and when he tried to lift his left arm, he cried out. Looking down at it, he saw his arm simply dangled like a bag, most of the bones in it having been crushed. How he was still alive, he had no idea.

He looked ahead at Kull, and slumped down only in time for the giant's fist to come colliding into the barrier. Syne scrambled up, lightly cradling his shattered arm in an attempt to keep it from further harm. Each step brought flames of agony roaring through him, and he had dropped both his weapons in his flight toward the wall.

Kull jabbed at his opponent, nailing him in the back. The blow was just at the end of the giant's reach, so it had only managed to knock him to the ground. Syne screamed in pain as he landed. Somehow, he forced himself onto his back in time to see Kull's foot blocking his view of the sky.

The crowd was silent as the foot came down.


	17. LF TTCBS 4

**

* * *

Lost Fragments - ****The Traverse Town Cup Battle Series**

**Part 4

* * *

**

Kydran's eyes followed Leon as the black-clad warrior paced back and forth. The man was very visibly agitated, as was made apparent to Kydran not only by his actions but by his eyes, which were now filled with a mix between worry, thought, and, if Kydran wasn't mistaken, a little anger.

The boy turned away from Leon, curiosity still edging at the back of his mind. Perhaps Aerith or Yuffie knew something about it. They would still be up in the stands. He had finished his fight, so he would be free until the next round was called. The boy's boots carried him out of the fighters' waiting area, away from Leon, and toward the stands.

The crowd was a little less dense in the time between fights, and the last, brutal fight had ended only a couple minutes earlier. Kydran's emerald eyes scanned faces as he moved through the crowd, and it hadn't taken him too long before he caught sight of Aerith's pink dress. He smiled. Pandora was with her. The girl's violet eyes met his.

Pandora jumped up from her seat and dove at him, wrapping her arms around him. He caught her, grinning. Aerith turned to look at the two of them, and her eyes softened. Pandora pulled away, and looked up at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You had me scared to death! What happened?"

"It's no problem. I… can't remember much about it, but I'm all in one piece."

"Not that I couldn't tell. It's alright. Your memory's not all that great, anyway," grinned the girl, and Kydran shook his head, bearing a lopsided grin.

"Which fight is next, Kydran?" asked Aerith. "The fight listings are out in the courtyard, but I didn't read them."

"Leon versus Seifer."

At the mention of the second name, Aerith's eyes were suddenly filled with concern. She turned away from him, and looked out into the battlefield.

"What's wrong, Aerith?" asked the boy. Pandora moved away from him as he stepped over to her. The flower girl looked to the ground.

"Seifer… you're still alive…? How…?"

Pandora moved around Kydran, to Aerith's other side, and sat down next to her.

"Who is he, Aerith?"

"Seifer… we all thought he was dead. We… I, at least, thought that Leon had killed him…"

"I don't understand," said Kydran, taking a seat next to the flower girl.

"He was… he is, a servant of Darkness now. At least, he was when Leon fought him and destroyed him."

"Please explain, Aerith," requested Kydran. Aerith raised her eyes, and looked straight ahead.

"Seifer grew up with us while we were still living in Hollow Bastion. Squall, who we all call Leon now, and Seifer never really got along," Aerith began. "Growing up, Seifer never had much consideration for others, only a will to dominate and succeed. He had a supreme confidence about him; where Leon was cool and calm, Seifer was fiery and furious. He always seemed unstoppable.

"The two trained all the time, Seifer doing it to gain power, and Leon… I never understood why Leon trained so hard. I think it was because he felt he had to protect us from Seifer. I don't know. The two would spar every now and then, getting in fights because Seifer never knew when to leave people alone. Seifer would peck at Squall, and Squall wouldn't give, and they would end up fighting. Seifer also had a habit of picking on poor Yuffie; he wouldn't ever leave her alone until Squall finally put his foot down.

"When they had finally grown up, their understanding of each other had grown as well, and they had almost become friends. They both continued to train, and eventually King Ansem, the ruler of Hollow Bastion, selected both Squall and Seifer to work as his bodyguards. Soon after, Ansem was visited by somebody from another world, another King… King Mickey. After that, Ansem disappeared into his labs, and was rarely seen, even by Squall and Seifer. As the two continued to work together, their comaraderie grew, and they eventually came to be close friends.

"Eventually, Seifer was seen less and less, as well as the King. Reports of missing people began to reach Squall's ears, but he could not find King Ansem. After the missing people… stories of monsters, made of shadow, crawling within the darkness of the dungeons. Then people who traveled into the castle's lower levels disappeared, too. Squall descended to see what was happening. When he returned, he told us that Seifer was in control of the monsters below. I've never seen him as hurt as he was that day… he looked so betrayed. He had trusted Seifer."

"Maybe that explains why he's so gruff," mentioned Asher. Aerith carried on.

"When Hollow Bastion was overwhelmed, Squall found and faced Seifer as the Darkness was engulfing it all. He was determined to stop him, to save Hollow Bastion. I didn't see the fight; I was pulled away to find a way out as the two began fighting. When we found him again, Leon had that wound across the bridge of his nose. He said he had cut Seifer back, across the face, and thought he had killed Seifer.

"After we had gotten away from Hollow Bastion and arrived at Traverse Town, Squall left his name behind him. He told us that when his friend, Seifer, and his home, Hollow Bastion, had died, Squall had died with them, and in his place was the Leon you see today. We never saw Seifer again. We all assumed that Leon had killed him; he never mentioned it, and we never brought it up.

"When we found out that Ansem was the one who brought the Darkness down on Hollow Bastion, we all realized something; Seifer had been working for Ansem, follow his orders. Seifer was Ansem's right-hand man. And, from reading the 'scientific reports' Ansem made, the Ansem Reports, we also learned that Seifer was, ultimately, abandoned by his master and left to die on Hollow Bastion with the rest of us.

"I know Leon doesn't want to face Seifer again. I don't know what's going to happen… I hope Leon will be alright…"

Both Asher and Pandora were silent, instead turning to watch as the gates lifted.

* * *

Leon stood facing the man he had seen consumed by the Darkness two years before. 

Seifer was about the same height as Leon, maybe a little taller. He did not look as though he had taken much care of himself, as his complexion was paler than before, and his hair reaching down to his shoulders, unkempt and tangled. His clothes were ragged; when Leon had seen him last, he had been wearing a pair of loose pants, boots, a stylish vest, and a white longcoat which bore his symbol, the Fire Cross, on the back, all of which had been very well-kept. Seifer had always been adamant about his appearances.

Now, his boots were worn, the pants torn in many places, and his coat was ragged at the tail, the ends of the sleeves just as worn. His clothing was burned in some points, and he appeared as though he had been in more than one fight, though the man bore no visible scars save for the one across the bridge of his nose. In his hand, he held a gunblade.

Leon and Seifer had each received their gunblades from Ansem; whereas Leon had been given the Revolver, a revolver-sword hybrid, Seifer had been given the Hyperion, a .45-sword hybrid. The sword, at least, was well-kept; it appeared as clean as the day Leon had last seen him.

The two had walked to within about three meters from each other. Leon's gray eyes looked into Seifer's now-orange oculars, then to the scar across Seifer's face, and then to his eyes again. He was silent. His opponent broke the silence.

"Squall."

Leon grimaced at the name. It was different than when Yuffie called him Squall; it still hurt, but not nearly as much as it did now.

"My name is Leon."

"When I read the listings, I never thought it would be you I would be facing. Small world."

"I…"

"You what? You what, Squall?" harassed Seifer, his voice bitter.

"Leon," growled the warrior through gritted teeth.

"You want to take care of unfinished business? You want to blame me for Hollow Bastion? You want to apologize to me, for abandoning me? What, Squall?"

"My name is **Leon**!" cried the Griever as the bell tolled, starting the match. His feet braced into the ground, and he launched forward, turning his weapon over in his hand, arm forward as he charged his foe.

Seifer only smirked, lifting his blade, pointing it at his old friend and enemy.

* * *

Their blades clashed. Squall brought the weapon down, full-force, to cleave into Seifer, tears streaming from his eyes. Seifer moved to the side, parrying the weapon down his the gunblade his master had given him. With Squall's blade pinned to the ground, Ansem's right-hand man pulled his arm up full-force, bringing the back edge of the Hyperion toward the brown-haired man's face. 

Squall grunted, releasing one hand from the Revolver and leaned back, placing it against the flat of the Hyperion with a black-gloved hand, pushing it out of the path of his neck. He pulled his weapon up from the ground and swung toward Seifer's exposed legs.

Seifer's legs lifted off of the ground as he hurled himself forward into a roll. The rubble-covered floor was hard, but he came to his feet without incident. He whipped around to face Squall, who was already charging, weapon cocked back for a thrust.

The sound of gunblades clashing rung out through the air, only to be drawn into the roiling void where the world's heart had been. The two battled beneath the void itself, within a room in which, in the future, Sora would first encounter one of the black-robed Unknowns.

Squall didn't know where Yuffie or Aerith or Cloud or anybody was, or whether they were safe; all of his focus was on Seifer, who he knew had to have brought this down on them all.

Blades clanged out once more as Squall bore down on his friend, Seifer responding by interceding with his gunblade. Squall roared, the tumult within him finding no other way out. With a burst of strength, Squall shoved Seifer forward, ever-closer to the wall of the room within which they fought. Seifer, having lost ground, braced his foot into the floor and resisted. Squall's angry gray eyes glared into Seifer's green eyes, and the fighter only glared in return.

"Why, Seifer?" growled Squall through gritted teeth. "Why did you do this to everybody? To our home?"

Seifer only smiled, and this infuriated Squall further. With another release of pent-up rage, the brown-haired warrior screamed and shoved as hard as he could, sending his foe reeling back toward the wall of their circular battlefield. He cocked his weapon back and launched forward to impale Seifer while he was regaining his posture.

Squall lunged forward, the tip of the weapon screaming toward Seifer's chest. Suddenly, long before his weapon would ever connect, he felt something grab his leg in a tight grasp and pull. Squall's leg was yanked out from under him, and he unceremoniously fell flat on his face.

Seifer wasted no time on the advantage he had been given. He raised the Hyperion and prepared to drive it into Squall's prone body.

If the black-clad fighter had rolled to his left rather than his right, he would have been slain. Rather, he rolled onto his back away from the now-gathering Shadows and the Hyperion that would have impaled him. Looking down, he recognized one of the monsters that had been present in the dungeons of Hollow Bastion. It examined him through hollow yellow eyes, flicking its antennae at him. Squall drove a foot into the Shadow's face, sending it flying, and parried Seifer's next thrust with his Revolver.

Squall popped his feet into the air, flipping onto his feet, narrowly avoiding another of Seifer's assaults. He dove forward, rolling out of danger once more, and came to his feet in time to sweep his gunblade into a Shadow before turning to face his blonde-haired adversary.

Seifer simply stood, smiling sublimely, arms raised toward the heart-void. His voice boomed outward, bolstered somehow by the Darkness.

"Oh, Squall… if only you knew! The gift my King has given me… while he has transcended his body to seek the Darkness, I accept it into my own heart, not to be controlled by it, but controlling it! If only you knew the power, Squall!"

"That power has destroyed everything we once had, Seifer! It will destroy you, too!"

"Nonsense! I control the Darkness, not the other way around," smirked Seifer, lowering his arms. Leon glanced about himself, seeing that he had been encircled by the Shadows. Seifer continued. "Join me, Squall. There are so many worlds beyond this one, and with our power-"

"It doesn't mean anything! You'll only destroy them, too! And when everything's gone, the Darkness will destroy you too!"

"You're a fool, Squall. You're unworthy. I offer you a gift, and you continue to be ignorant. You disgust me."

Seifer's form was engulfed in a green haze. He launched himself forward, laughing, at a speed that the black-clad gunblader had never though possible.

Squall defended himself as well as he could, but Seifer's strikes were too fast. Leon watched as Seifer's Darkness-infused weapon sliced his clothing to ribbons, laughing the entire time with malicious joy. The longcoated fighter pulled back, and pointed his gunblade at Squall, who could only back away, dazed.

"This is the power, Squall. It can be yours. I offer it only once."

The Griever watched the Shadows moving across the ground, at his clothing. Seifer had not cut him; his attack had been meant to scare him, to warn him, to display his newfound power in the Darkness. In his heart, despair ate away at his hope.

"Come with me. Please," offered Seifer once more, extending a gloved hand. The Darkness flowed about him, pulling at his legs, trying to draw him into it.

The gray-eyes fighter looked up, and those eyes narrowed with fury as the despair neared his core, threatening to defeat him, to destroy him, to eradicate his hope.

"Never, Seifer. Never."

Seifer was taken aback by the sudden blaze in his foe's eyes, but smirked regardless.

"Very well."

Seifer was before Squall in a heartbeat. Before the black-clad warrior would react, Seifer struck the inside of his wrist with the flat of his blade, forcing Squall to drop his. As the gunblader stumbled back in surprise, he looked up only in time to see Seifer bring the tip of his weapon down on him. The fighter dropped back as his vision exploded into bursts of agony, a large cut having made its way across the bridge of his nose.

The longcoated man loomed above the fallen warrior, his expression one of supreme victory. He had won. He had defeated Squall.

The Griever's vision was still blurred, but in the moment where the despair had reached his core and he had acknowledged that the Darkness was too great for him to overcome, he had attained a certain clarity. His life flashed before him. All of his friends, everybody he had known growing up; despite his aloofness, despite the appearance he always gave that he never cared, he cared very much for each other person in Hollow Bastion. As the memories became recognized, Squall felt power surge through him.

Seifer's expression faded instantly as he saw his foe lift himself from off of the ground, grab his dropped weapon, and bring the edge upward. Squall's weapon was bathed in an azure-white energy, and the tip made connection with Seifer's face. The blonde-haired warrior cried out as the force of the blow carried him into the air, with the help of the drawing power of the vortex. His boots separated from the ground, and the blast of light released from Squall propelled him into the heart of the vortex.

The warrior stood and watched as Seifer disappeared into the Darkness, and looked at the Heartless surrounding him, the Light still engulfing him. The vortex grew.

"I swear now… I will find a way to destroy you. Every single one of you.."

He was lifted into the air, toward the abyss, and did not resist.

"I will find a way."

* * *

The gunblades flashed in the sunlight, echoing out through the arena as they clashed; the fight had continued for a solid six minutes, which was an eternity on the battlefield. The crowd was cheering madly, driven to a fever of excitement by the duel between old friends made enemies. The previous fights had been disappointing, but this one had practically made up for the wasted time all by itself. 

Seifer parried away Leon's sword-stroke with his own gunblade, sending it out of the path of his body and into the ground. He drew back and lunged at the Griever, who responded back dropping down beneath the strike and thrusting a palm out at Seifer's abdomen. Flame gathered about Leon's hand as he channeled magical power into it, and before Seifer could react, the fireball blasted him backwards. He cried out in pain and landed first on his legs (which crumpled beneath him), and then on his back, his vest smoldering.

Leon moved over to where Seifer lay, struggling to get up. His gray eyes bore down on him, and his lips turned downward in a display of his disgust.

"Seifer… without the Darkness, you're nothing. This is what you've become."

Seifer's teeth gritted, and he strained to get to his feet. Getting his balance, he hobbled backwards, having sprained one of his legs in the previous fall. The fighter lifted the Hyperion, pointing it at Squall.

"Seifer… just give up. Come back with me and Aerith and Yuffie and everyone. Wounds can heal, given time. As long as Sora keeps fighting the Darkness, we'll have time."

The blonde-haired fighter shook his head.

"Some wounds run too deep."

Seifer sprung forward, blade cocked back to pierce into Leon's chest.

Leon moved to the side, and focused power through the Revolver. The weapon doubled in length, a shining blade of azure light engulfing it. In the same motion, Leon both turned Seifer's weapon aside and brought it down through his old friend's body, cleaving him apart. Seifer's body fell to the ground in two, and Leon, not wishing to look back, only kept walking.


	18. Mask

**

* * *

Chapter 14 - ****Mask

* * *

**

Sora was not unfamiliar with the feeling of sinking, of being pulled downward through some aquatic gravity- but the sheer strangeness of this environment was something he found unsettling. One moment he was walking, another flying, and all the while he couldn't help but think he was dreaming. His friends were nowhere to be found, even while a darkened, shattered landscape flying by.

He wondered if he would ever be able to truly describe the strangeness of the sensation. His skin tingled, though the severity of it always shifted back and forth, from feeling lightheaded and giddy to the point where he was screaming over the needles stuck in his body. He flew through the deepest Darkness, passed through the brightest Light. He could hear fragmented bits of music, shattered screams, broken laughter and whispered secrets of all varieties.

It was as though he were experiencing all the gathered memories of Memoria at once, all of the disordered, chaotic remembrances as far back as before time itself.

Sora's sneakers crunched into a pile of rubble. He looked down at the broken pieces of what seemed to have been a great castle at one time. Everything around him was barren. He felt immensely cold, deep within, but on the outside he could feel a burning heat pounding on him from the dying sun above. The light around himself was dying itself, casting only a dim blue glow which fought helplessly to peek through the thick cloud cover above him. Nothing was green, everything was dead.

The Keyblade Master realized he was walking in a world that had been hollowed out, forgotten. In-between. Between Light and Darkness, between being remembered and being lost in oblivion, a place that couldn't possibly exist, but did anyway. He saw reflected in this a marred image of the worlds he had seen, shattered wreckage which made the place out to look like a warzone. This was a crippled realm, one that was on the brink of no longer existing, one that was doomed, could not be brought back.

How he knew this, he didn't know, but he felt it within himself. He continued to walk forward, though he was already flying- at least, he thought he was. He was split in three; the watcher, the sleeper, the dreamer. All three consciousnesses gave him the experiences he was feeling, while never in any one order; sometimes, he felt his consciousness working backwards.

Sora could not help but feel he was on the brink of some sanity-shattering discovery, but either could not figure it out, or could not put the pieces together- or he did not want to.

In an instant, he felt himself propelled forward, his body carrying him swiftly along the ground. He felt panicked. He sailed through the air, reaching immense speed, unfathomable speed, so fast he began to leave behind who he was, and in the instant where he knew he had already broken the boundaries of physical laws, he felt something rush past him, filling him with an intense feeling of dread. The mass moved past him, the sheer power of it enveloping, felt it take grasp on his heart-

* * *

Sora shot forward in his bed, gasping. His blue eyes were wide and panicked, his body was damp with sweat, as though he had been doing nothing but flailing for the entire night. Was it just a dream? It was, right? Taking deeper, calmer breaths, he laid back in bed, his heart pounding. Sweet relief swept over him, and he smiled, glad that whatever it was he had dreamed about was not real. 

He stared up at the ceiling and at the various little devices he had hanging from the ceiling. He was home. The solemn happiness he felt, right then, was astonishing. He felt as if he had always wanted to be here, for the longest time, and now his wish was being realized. He could not, for the life of him, put his finger on why. Sora allowed himself to enjoy that moment, in the dark before the sunrise of the new day.

He stood and looked out the window, smiling from ear to ear (in his boxers though he was). He watched as the sun peeked over the horizon, spilling its youthful rays across the sea. That strange feeling of appreciation for so small a thing moved over him again.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, stretching his arms into the air and yawning, he looked around his room. The same exact way he had left it... since when? Last night? Why did he feel as though he had not been here in forever?

"Sora, breakfast!" called a light, feminine voice from down the hall.

The boy lifted himself off of the bed and walked over to the closet, wondering what he should wear. It _was_ the middle of summer. He retrieved a pair of brown khaki shorts and a white t-shirt. Throwing them on quickly and tucking his necklace underneath the shirt (a morning ritual; it always ended up coming up out of his collar through the course of the day) and opened his door. He walked out into the hall.

Sora's house was rather spacious for a single mother and her one child, but it was something Sora recognized and enjoyed. He had friends over often, and when he, Riku, and Kairi were done playing on the childrens' island, they would usually come back to either Sora or Riku's house for lemonade or some other cool drink.

If one was to walk into the front door of the house, which you would get to by a beautiful and roundabout little path through the tropical flora, the first thing one would see would be the large front room, the living room/den. There were a couple of sofas and a recliner (the recliner was off-limits to anybody but Sora's mom), not all of which faced the TV. Sora actually watched very little TV, spending more time outside than in.

The round living room had three exits. One to the front door, one revolving glass door leading to the kitchen, and to the left, via a short wooden stairway, was the hall. Down the hall was the bathroom, Sora's room, a guest room, and the master bedroom, where his mom slept.

The boy worked his way through the living room and into the kitchen, where he stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't move. He couldn't will himself to scream.

The kitchen wasn't the kitchen anymore. It was a broken-down, decrepit old ruin, archaic grease splotches and soot stained into the walls. A strange, jerking creature, a white creature, spasmed in place, turning to look at the boy.

"Sora? Are you okay, honey?" came his mother's voice from far away.

He blinked.

His mother looked concerned.

"Oh... I'm alright. I think I just got up too fast," replied the young man, who plodded his way toward the kitchen table. He slid into one of the wooden chairs.

"You have to watch out for that, baby," cooed his mother, who slid a bowl of crunchy granola cereal, with some apple slices, in front of him. "You'll give yourself a headache."

Sora smiled faintly, looking at the cereal, asking himself what had happened. Had that even been real?

"What are you going to do today? Gonna go find Riku and Kairi? Oh, I have something for Riku's mom, I'd like you to deliver it for me," stated Mom, sitting down in front of Sora with her own bowl of cereal. Then she frowned. Sora was one of few people who she considered to be a morning person. He had never acted so strange before. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Mom. I'm just-" He thought of a quick excuse. "Riku said we should build a raft. I'm wondering how we should do it."

"I'm sure you three will think of something," supported Mom, finishing her granola and making her way to the kitchen. "Hurry and eat, honey, you're burning daylight!"

With an almost imperceptible nod, Sora began to eat. He wasn't exactly hungry, but he didn't feel as though he couldn't eat, either. Still each bite seemed unfulfilling, almost as if he never felt it land in his stomach. Finishing the bowl of cereal, and drinking the milk from the bowl as was his usual, he carried his dish to the kitchen and swiped up the apple slices on the way out of the kitchen.

He was putting his sandals on at the front door when his mother approached, grinning.

"I thought you'd forget. I need this to get to Riku's mom," said Sora's mother, approaching and handing over a small cardboard box filled with who-knows-what. "Have fun!"

Sora closed the door behind him and walked down the landscaped path with the package in hand. The boy's thoughts rested on what he had seen earlier. Maybe he _had_ gotten up too fast. He stopped halfway down and looked closely at everything, reached out and felt at a squat palm tree to make sure it felt real. It did. Shaking his head, he finished his trip down the path.

The sandals made contact with white sand, and Sora took a deep breath, a sudden appreciation for the smell of the ocean coming over him. It was beautiful here. Everything was so simple, so clean. He headed for the beach itself, feeling the sandals sink into the cool, wet sand, smiling from ear to ear. Certainly he had to have imagined whatever it was he thought he saw.

Already, some people were on the beach relaxing, but the grown-ups _did_ have to work, so seeing one on the beach not working on a work day was a rarity. Sora decided to stop over at Riku's house to make the delivery.

Riku's house was a little simpler affair than Sora's, but it was also larger, and very well-decorated. Sora was not usually there very often. Riku often had relatives over, and even had a baby sister, who had not even made it out of the cradle yet. The brown-haired boy got the feeling that Riku did not like being at home, busy as it was.

The platinum blonde's abode also lacked the landscaping of Sora's house, but at this point he was glad he didn't have to spend much time going along a walkway. He stepped up to the door and was about to knock when he heard a very familiar voice from the second story.

"Riku, wait up!"

The sound of thumping down the stairs was muffled against the door, and Sora pulled his hand back in surprise as Riku threw the door open. The fifteen-year-old stopped still, eyeing Sora as though he had seen a ghost, and then was rocked forward as he was slammed into from behind. Riku bowled over Sora and a third body bowled over the two. Sora fell straight back over the steps and 'oomph'ed as his back hit the ground. Looking straight up, if Sora hadn't had the wind knocked out of him by the fall, he would have cried out in surprise.

He was looking at himself. A carbon copy of himself.

Riku was on his feet in an instant, looking on in disbelief. Two Soras? One was more than enough.

"Whoa," uttered the Sora on top, who hastily clambered off of the brown-haired boy. Sora stood up, dusting himself off, looking himself over.

Something was tugging at the back of Sora's mind, a familiar feeling of some radical revelation waiting just beyond one thought, teasing him, dancing just outside his paradigm.

"...this can't be real!" cried the 'real' Sora, turning to run away, to run toward the childrens' island where he felt it might be familiar, might be safe. He was almost at the dock...

His foot slammed down into the dirt, but the dirt had changed to a strange blue shade, reflected light of a crippled sun. The ocean was black, deep, unforgiving, alien. All about him, he could see strange, black, rock-like formations, as if they may have once been alive. Everything was unnatural, large boulders rising up out of the ground. Where three children had been playing there were now three white, spasming forms, flicking left and right.

One more pump of the legs and everything was normal again. The sun was young, bright, alive, the beach was beautiful, the trees were not ashen and dead...

Sora looked over his shoulder. Riku and Sora were still standing beside one another, shaking their heads, still unable to believe. The brown-haired boy scrambled into one of the boats and paddled to the other island was quickly as he could.

The boy's small boat pulled up next to the dock, and he didn't bother tying it. His mind was reeling. He was suffering double vision, once of a world dark and hollow, another of the bright beach landscape. He stumbled forward, dizzy, and fell off the top of the dock, landing face-first in the sand. Coughing, he gripped the ground, waiting for the sensation of nausea to pass by. Then it all came back to him.

He was Sora. The Keyblade Master. He was in Memoria, or at least, he thought it was. It had to have been. The dark world he was seeing had to be Memoria. But the visions of his home were so real. The sun and the sand warmed him, the smell of the sea surrounded him, the crash of the waves and the distant echo of seagulls, the taste of the open air, everything was so real.

He rolled onto his back and shielded his eyes from the sun. Was that the real Riku he had seen, the real Riku that, perhaps, had not realized where he was yet? Where was Dyne? And what about Lilka? The questions harried him as he sat up, propped back on his hands.

If he was the real Sora, then what was the other boy? Would everybody have a double in this place? Why was he here, specifically? The similarities between this place and Castle Oblivion were disturbing. Sora stood, slowly, sighed, and made his way toward the Secret Place.

_If_, he reasoned, _the dark world behind everything is Memoria, then the white creatures must be Nobodies. Are the Nobodies fake people? Or... are they reflections of people that already exist? _

_If they're reflections, then maybe Kairi is here, as well._

His heart fluttered, and then sank. It wouldn't be the real Kairi. He couldn't stay here with her, could not take her with him, could not keep his promise. Now was not the time. He would have to figure his way out of Memoria.

Pushing aside the branches which opened the way into Sora's secret cave, he crawled through the mouth of it, surprised he still fit exactly the way he did before he had left. He got to his feet, and then paused. He looked at his hands, at himself as best he could. He was a year younger. His body had shifted, as though he had never left.

He continued down the tunnel, dodging the gnarly roots which poked out of the cave walls before entering into the larger chamber, within which was a sandy floor, rocks protruding from the ground, and stone-carved drawings everywhere.

But there was no door.

His eyes widening, not wanting to believe it, he stepped down the wall, feeling it with his hands, making sure it couldn't be real- but he couldn't deny the fact. But, maybe...

Sora closed his eyes, recalling what the shadow behind this facade looked like, what it was that he really wanted to see. From that point on, he told himself, he wouldn't be lured by the mask of Memoria. He would see things as they really were, and get them all out of there.

When he opened his eyes again, the light source in the cave had changed completely. The light shining in through the roof wasn't light anymore. He squinted and stepped away from the wall. There was a door this time, but it was broken, a large piece out of the middle of it missing. He walked forward, squinting against the light that was coming through the hole in the door, where the keyhole would have been. Squatting down, he looked through the opening.

There was still a dead sun shedding light beyond the door, but it was being reflected by what seemed to be a wall of mirrors, perfectly symmetrical but how high it was Sora couldn't tell. The ground was still barren, the sky a dusky hue, but it was the cleanness and perfection of the mirror wall that caught his attention. It was untouched.

Sora grasped the edges of the hole and tugged. It didn't open. He tugged even harder. It still was not opening. With a grunt and all his bodily power he tried to pry the door open, but failed, his hands slipping off of the edges and sending him flying onto his back, Sora having lost his balance. He was also given a painful reminder as to why he wore gloves all the time; he had a large splinter in the palm of his left glove.

Groaning, he began to pick himself up, but found more than his own strength lifting him up. He whipped around to find Sora staring straight at himself, in a flash of the false Destiny Islands, but when the mask faded and the real Memoria revealed itself, so did his copy.

Dyne was looking at him straight in the eyes. Sora couldn't tell whether he was elated, angry, or disappointed. Either way, Dyne's attire had changed very conspicuously; he was now wearing the Unknown's cloak, gloves, everything, save that his hood was down.

"Now it makes sense," commented Sora, smiling oddly. He understood. Memoria must have sensed Dyne as having been Sora, and so the both of them counted as Soras in this place. It was strange, to be sure, but at least he had one less mystery to worry about.

"Glad to see you made it," muttered the blonde-haired kid, walking along the now-stony floor of the cave, toward the door with the hole in it.

"You don't sound too happy about it."

"Oh, I'm just ecstatic," commented Dyne, observing the hole. "So you can see the real Memoria too, huh?"

"Yeah. Something very bad must have happened here... this used to be the World of Light, wasn't that what Mickey said?"

"I think there's a lot that Mickey didn't tell us, but I don't think it matters now anyway."

There was a long period of silence.

"Dyne, is the Riku you saw the real Riku?"

"Yeah," responded the blonde-haired kid, moving away from the door and then proceeding to examine the drawings that were on the rocks. It was very strange; Dyne expected the carvings to have disappeared with the mask. The drawings were just different on these rocks.

"Does he know he's in Memoria?"

"Nope," said Dyne, who was then running his hands along a carving of several hooded figures facing one person. Frowning, he stood and walked to the cave wall, continuing to observe.

"You didn't tell him!"

"Why should I? I think he deserves a little resting time. Besides, until I figured out what was really going on-"

"You wouldn't have told me, either, would you?" growled Sora, interrupting Dyne. The black-clad boy turned away from the drawings, and his gaze narrowed at Sora.

"What are you trying to say?"

The Keyblade Master's eyes burned angrily at the other boy. His hand instinctively went to take hold of the Kingdom Key, calling it to his side.

It didn't come.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Keyblades don't make it here. I don't know what's going on, but my keyblades-"

"They're **my** keyblades!"

"-won't come to me."

Sora folded his arms, not sure whether to feel happy or frustrated. He was weaponless, but Dyne couldn't have the Oblivion or Oathkeeper, either. He began to step out toward the exit.

"I haven't seen Lilka, either," mentioned Dyne as Sora was leaving. The Keybearer paused.

"...if we ended up on Destiny Islands, then she probably ended up back at Fargaia. Don't you think?"

Sora was clearly nonplussed. However... hadn't the entire point of her coming been to find a way back to Fargaia?

"Could be," replied Dyne, going back to the cave etchings.

With an exasperated sigh, Sora left. First step would be to try to make Riku see that he was in Memoria, and then, he supposed, he would have to find the missing keyhole to that door. It was like it had been blown out, or blasted in, like something had forced itself through it and the door hadn't been able to take the pressure. The condition of the door and the sting in his hand reminded him of what he would actually do first: get the damned splinter out of his glove.

Sora walked to the dock, through Memoria, looking past the deceptive facade into the reality of it, and he almost felt like crying in sympathy for this place. It may have, long ago, been a happy place, a place full of Light, but no more. There was no mercy here. Perhaps it would simply be better to believe what Memoria wanted him to believe...

He came to where he had left the boat. The dock was in shambles, of course, and the boat was in much worse shape than the image gave him, but he figured he wasn't going to find a better boat, so he climbed in anyway.

As the little dinghy floated its way to the other island, a horrifying thought struck him. The island was infested with Nobodies, and he was completely unarmed. Could they tell that he knew what was wrong? Would they attack him? The Mom-Nobody hadn't attacked him. He'd have to play it by ear, and he knew he couldn't be too cautious.

Having landed, Sora found it very, very hard to keep walking, to keep seeing past the mask. The thought of his home in this condition made him sick to the stomach, a painful reminder to how far from home he was, how far from...

...his mom? No, there was somebody very important to him there. He had a keyblade, to remind him... right?

He stopped in the middle of the dead beach and frowned, thinking hard. He felt vaguely worried, scared, that he was leaving something very important behind him. It wasn't Riku, it was... he couldn't grasp it. He ran through his list of important females, and came up with one name:

Lilka.

He had to find her.

But Riku would come first.

Sora walked up the steps toward Riku's house, taking a deep breath. The house was just as broken-down and decrepit as everything else here, amongst the withered palm trees and dying flora. He knocked on the half-rotten door, waiting then for a few moments. He heard the distant echo of somebody's voice, though who it was and what was being said was indecipherable, but he heard Riku's voice cry 'Coming!' immediately after.

The platinum blonde opened the door, and Sora grinned, happy to see some form of color in that dark place. Both he and Riku stood out like colored oranges in a black-and-white film. Riku was looking at him oddly.

"You look really happy," commented Riku. "What'd you do this time?"

"Nothing, just glad to see you!"

"Uh, right. You sure you're okay?" questioned Riku, looking somewhat amused.

"Yeah."

"So, what the heck happened earlier? I thought I was seeing double. That was really weird."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Why don't you come with me to the island?"

"If you insist. Gimme a sec," replied Riku, who then turned and called into the house. "Mom! I'll clean my room in a minute, I need to talk to Sora!"

Immediately after, Sora sensed that same haunting noise, like a voice coming from underwater. Riku nodded, and jogged down the steps with ease. Sora followed, and the two began moving down the beach, Riku quiet, waiting for Sora to say something.

"Riku, about this morning..."

"Yeah?"

"You want to get off of this island, right?"

"You do too, don't you? That's why we're building the raft."

Sora stopped, a pain rushing through his gut, a sudden, unexplained cold feeling. He recognized it as regret, but he couldn't recall why. He turned to Riku, and was about to speak, when he heard a splash and a scream coming from beyond the beach. The shock caused him to lose his focus, and all at once the beach was bright and sunny and warm again.

Out in the waters, a girl was struggling to swim. Sora immediately vaulted toward the water's edge and splashed into the ocean, swimming to the rescue. Managing to reach the girl in record time, he called to her, swimming in place, ready to keep her afloat.

"Don't struggle, take my hand!"

The girl burbled and splashed upward, latching her hand on Sora's, he face rising above the surface. Sora blinked.

It was Lilka.

The brown-haired boy made his way, Lilka in tow, to land, and helped her to land. She flopped into the ground, heaving, exhausted. Sora, unaffected by the swim, braced himself on his knees to look at her.

"You look like a drowned rat," smiled Sora, grinning.

"Do not!" squealed Lilka, sputtering and trying to get up. Riku extended a hand to help her up. Taking it, she clambered to her feet.

"No tact at all. Really. What's your name?" queried Riku of Lilka. Sora felt like something was wrong, but the bright sun and the pretty ocean and everything around him was just so distracting...

Lilka eyed the platinum blonde, frowning.

"You don't remember me? I'm Lilka."

Riku paused, looking her over. She _did_ look familiar.

"Where do you live, Lilka?" questioned Sora, noting Riku's interest in her. Competition would, most definitely, ensue.

"...Fargaia. I think I told all of this to you guys before. What happened? Aren't we in-"

"Fargaia? You mean, you're not from Destiny Islands?" said Riku, surprised, suddenly much more interested. "I've never heard of that place before."

"...Destiny... Islands? You mean this place? No, I'm not from here. And what are you guys doing living in a place like this?"

"You say that like it's a bad place to live," Sora said, shaking his head. "Bright sun, pretty beach. It's home."

Lilka was silent. She was seeing what was behind the image, but she was also under the impression that these two were obviously very delusional. Or there was something very wrong going on. The surprise she felt inside triggered a little voice within to tell her to be very careful, to figure things out.

"I guess so. So... you two live here, right?"

"Yup!"

"Sora, I need to get back to the chores at my house. Why don't you get Lilka cleaned up and stuff, we'll meet back later at the island."

The Keybearer was taken aback. Had Riku just admitted defeat or something? No way. There was something in Riku's face that gave Sora the impression that the arrival of Lilka had shell-shocked him. The older boy took off toward his house, and Lilka was left alone with Sora.

"...okay, then. Let's get you into some dry clothes."


	19. Real

**

* * *

Chapter 15 - ****Real

* * *

**

The sun was hanging directly above Sora and Lilka as they worked their way along the roundabout path to Sora's house. Sora had taken a hold of the girl's hand a little overenthusiastically, and was leading her along when she attempted to stop. Sora gave a tug.

"Sora, this place is really creepy," pleaded the girl, shaking her head vehemently. "Something's really wrong here and-"

"Creepy?" spoke Sora, giving her one of the most befuddled looks Lilka had ever seen. "This is my house. I live here. Is it too bright for you here? You might be homesick."

Lilka was genuinely appalled. The brown-haired boy continued to look at her as though she were insane. With a mildly exasperated, and not a little anxious, sigh, she allowed Sora to take her along the pathway.

Sora saw familiar trees, a beautiful pathway. Lilka was seeing a dead, barren wasteland with an ancient, wind-beaten trail carved into it.

Sora entered the house, explaining to Lilka what was where, pointing down the hallway and indicating that the kitchen was behind his super-cool revolving door. Really, how many people had a revolving door going into their kitchen?

"Not many," commented Lilka, who was seeing shattered glass and scorch-marks everywhere. She heard, then, a faint, distant noise, bubbly, subdued. She frowned.

"It's me, Mom. I brought a friend over!" called Sora. Lilka strained to hear what the voice said in return. She made out that it had a happy tone, but when the source of the voice came out of the hall, Lilka released a bloodcurdling scream, backing away against the wall.

Sora's mom dropped the dishtowels in surprise, crying out. Sora whipped around and appeared entirely oblivious to what was happening around him. Lilka screamed again.

"Lilka, it's just my mom!"

The girl shook her head wildly, unbelieving, tripping over some unseen solid object and falling onto her behind, still scrambling to get away from what appeared to be a Heartless in a white suit with that symbol on its forehead-

Her breath was still coming in heaves and her heart was still pounding when Sora moved to help her up. 'Mom' still hadn't moved from its/her place as he did so, and she heard the distant noise, emitting from beneath the creature's zippered-y hood.

"I think she's okay... Lilka, are you alright?"

The girl extended a shaking hand to Sora's, and he helped her to her feet. She looked down, realizing she had tripped over a broken-up coffee table. In fact, the room was now filled with furniture she **knew** could not have been there before. Even the shape of the monster Sora called Mom was now looking more and more feminine, more humanlike, its spasmic behavior much more controlled. Its long arms had shortened, the head shrunk, the legs lengthened, and it was now in perfect proportion to a human, but the hood and the monstrous face were still there. Lilka did not know what to think.

The creature reached down to scoop some invisible items off of the ground, and shook its head. Its voice, now distinctly feminine but still unintelligible, echoed through the room.

"She'll be alright. She washed up on the beach not long ago, I was just gonna help her get settled in, if that's okay," said Sora, brightly. He noted that both the new girl and his mother were about the same size. "Do you have any clothes that could fit her?"

Sora's mom giggled.

"That's very flattering, Sora, comparing me to such a nice-looking girl like that. I'll see what I have," replied Mom, who turned and headed down the hall.

Sora turned to Lilka and smiled.

"Are you okay with that?"

Lilka's eyes were still locked on the end of the hallway, her eyes wide as saucers. The Keyblade Master snapped to get her attention, and she looked to him, asking the question once more.

"Okay with what?"

"Borrowing my mom's clothes. Just for a little while," added the boy, who looked genuinely concerned. Screaming at the sight of a lady during their first meeting was not a normal thing to do. Something was strange about Lilka's behavior. Was she crazy? Too much time at sea?

"Uh, sure," she replied, the shock having left and her logicality coming back to take hold of the situation. Sora thought that everything around him was real. She really had to be in Memoria. Things were beginning to become more and more real. This realization ignited a surge of panic in Lilka, which she forced herself to restrain. She would have to play along, or they would think she was insane. Steeling herself, she took a breath. She knew she would have to be careful regarding what she accepted as real and what she did not, not knowing whether or not she could 'unbelieve' something she had believed to be real.

Sora looked relieved that Lilka had seemed to steady herself.

"What was that all about, anyway, Lilka?" asked Sora. The girl knew he was referring to her outburst.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't your mom. I just... uh... had a bad memory. From back home," Lilka lied, smiling, though it was an honest smile. She felt relieved in how well she had figured it all out, hadn't lost her mind in the sheer insanity of their situation. Still, she would have to wake Sora up somehow...

"Alright, well, the shower's back that way," said the brown-haired boy, motioning toward the back of the hallway. "Mom and I are around if you need us."

Lilka feigned a smile and nodded, and then stepped over to the hallway. Sora, in the meantime, smiled broadly and fell onto one of the couches, bouncing up and down. Everything would be okay. Still, there was the little twinge in the back of his mind, something making him uneasy, making him not want to get too comfortable...

* * *

Lilka lifted up the pair of denim cut-off shorts and regarded them with a bewildered expression. They were short. Very short. They might as well have been her underwear, as far as she was concerned. At the mere thought of putting them on, the girl blushed brightly. She was sixteen years old. Rather improper clothing. Sora's mom must have been a bad girl when she was younger. 

Sighing, she clothed herself with what she had been given: said shorts, a white tank top, her own bra (she wouldn't give that up) and a pair of sandals. She draped her brown hair over her shoulders. The girl was more used to having it in the Crest Sorceress' cap than not, so it felt strange to have her hair not curled up in it.

The girl rummaged through her old clothes, wondering if anybody that saw her without Memoria's mask would see her nearly clothesless. The mechanics of this ruined realm were truly alien. Retrieving a small, shiny gem from the pockets of her robe, she smiled, looking into it. It was something she had always kept with her. She slid the small object into her short-shorts pocket.

She turned, opening the door from the bathroom, and stepped out in a very shy manner. Lilka was a very self-conscious person, and the beachwear was very, very revealing. Coming from a land where it was winter more often than not, she was used to having **real** clothes on.

The world still appeared dead and surreal to her, but the more she accepted, the more lifelike and real it became. She had forced herself to accept the clothes as real, and so the colors of the clothes, white and blue, had begun to fill into the world.

She wasn't given time to think on it because Sora, calmer though he was, stepped into the hall. He appeared to be thinking deeply about something, which was completely unlike how she had seen him earlier. Previously, there was a rash of childishness, of immaturity in him. Now it seemed that he had aged at least year. Mentally, anyway.

He smiled as he watched Lilka, looking her up and down.

"It looks good on you," commented the boy, and the girl saw an goodnatured honesty in him. She smiled back, feeling a little more comfortable, and then looking around.

"So, uh, we're supposed to meet Riku, right?"

"Yeah, over at the other island, where the kids play. Come on, he's probably waiting for us," said Sora, turning to go out of the house. Lilka sensed that he was distracted.

The two left the house, and as they walked down the steps, Sora initiated conversation. His tone was cautious, questioning. The girl knew he was close to seeing past the unreality.

"Lilka... have we met before? I feel like I know you."

"You should! We've met before now."

He was quiet for a moment, his gaze lifting from the ground to level ahead of him. It wasn't far until they would be on the beach again.

"But you said you were from Fargaia."

"I told you that once before, too. But we met even before you found me in the ocean. You don't remember?"

He looked back through his memories, of what he could remember of Lilka. He recalled the emotion attached to Kairi, how he felt about her, but could not see her face, couldn't quite remember _who_ she was.

"Yeah... I think I remember."

"So you know where we are! Do you know how to get out of here?"

"Riku and I... and... you, we're gonna build a raft. It was Riku's idea. We're gonna get off these islands."

"I knew you'd figure it out!" squealed Lilka, diving to wrap her arms around Sora. The boy laughed, being nearly bowled over, and feeling rather good about the situation.

"Let's go find Riku, first. He'll know more about it than me."

* * *

They found Riku hacking away at one of the tall palm trees on the childrens' island with a hatchet he had procured from his parents. The boy stood on the small islet connected to the larger island by the bridge, where he and Sora had, a long, long time ago, sparred quite often. He was about halfway through the tree when Sora called a greeting to him. The boy turned, watching both Sora and Lilka approach, offering a cool, collected smile. 

"Took you guys long enough. I've been working on this tree for a while now."

"Sorry about that," explained Lilka, rubbing the back of her head, a little embarrassed. "I take a while in the shower."

"It's not a problem at all," said Riku softly, looking into Lilka's eyes with his own piercing turquoise oculars. "So, Sora, have you told Lilka about the raft?"

"I thought maybe you'd explain. It was your idea, anyway," said Sora, wandering toward the paopu tree to lounge upon it.

Riku shrugged, and turned to Lilka.

"We're going to cut down a few of these trees, lash them together with ropes made of the roots from the Secret Place," Riku began, going back to a rhythmic chopping pattern. He had not been there himself, lately, nor had he felt compelled to. That was usually where he went when his family would not leave him alone. "We'll gather some provisions, set up a mast for our boat, and... set sail."

"Wow... how long do you think it'll take, Riku?" queried the girl, who was conspicuously twitterpated with the platinum blonde.

"Not long, **if** you can get Sora off his butt," smiled the boy in the pantaloons, motioning at the brown-headed boy on the tree. "I'll keep working on this tree."

With that said, Lilka rounded up the Keybearer and left Riku to his chopping. The two set out to gather ropes to lash the raft together. Boy and girl went across the bridge, Sora looking more at Lilka than he was at the bridge ahead of him.

"You remember where the Secret Place is, right, Lilka?" asked Sora, then turning his eyes ahead. He was beginning to feel a little awkward, though he couldn't understand why.

"...Secret Place? No, I don't. I don't think I've ever even been here before."

Sora stopped, looking at her. Lilka slowly came to a halt, and then turned to face him with a questioning look on her face.

"You... haven't? Are you sure you're okay, Lilka?"

"I'm fine. I, uh..."

The girl struggled for an explanation. She didn't want Sora to think she was nuts, and he was so _into_ this illusion, she didn't want to try to wake him on her own.

"I meant I don't remember having gone there before. I'm sorry, the water really played with my memories. It was so... scary, I guess," she lied, sighing, hoping she bought it.

Sora appeared concerned, but a little relieved as well.

"Alright. Well, that's where we're going. The roots of the trees are there in the cave walls, so we'll make rope from them," explained the boy, who began walking again. Soon they had gone into and gone out of the shack, and were on their way up the steps leading to the waterfall- and the Secret Place. They had done so quietly, until Lilka finally broke the silence.

"Sora..."

"What is it?"

"Don't you ever wonder if... any of this is for real or not?"

The boy stopped at the entrance, before pushing the brush aside, and frowned. Was it... for real?

"Real...?"

The girl sensed a sort of sadness emanating from the boy, and took a step forward, wondering if she should say something.

"Sometimes I wonder. But... if this isn't real, then maybe I don't want to know what is. I'm happy here. I can't help but feel like... I have to appreciate this. Like it could just as easily disappear and leave me..."

Lilka's heart fluttered, a twinge of panic she felt welling up from the depths of her heart. Maybe he _had_ known this place was not real at one point, but had slipped in what he accepted as real, or Memoria was more powerful for him than for others, or maybe he just didn't want the burden of being the Keyblade Master anymore...

Without words, the two began working on stripping the bark away from the pliable roots of some of the native trees, harvesting them and breaking them down into strands. For the balance of the afternoon the two sat together, braiding the strands until they had several very strong ropes. There was a constant tension between the two, as if Sora was waiting for Lilka to say something while Lilka either did not know what to say, or didn't have the courage to say anything.

By the time the sun was setting, Lilka (though she did not realize it) was seeing all the colors in the spectrum, and could not longer tell the difference between the dead world of Memoria and the Destiny Islands that Sora had accepted as real.

Riku had disappeared from the island, both Sora and Lilka assuming he had gone back to his house. As the sun hung low in the sky, Sora decided it was best that they sailed back to the main island before night fell and they lost their light.

* * *

It was just before dusk that boy and girl arrived back at Sora house, where it was assumed she was going to stay. As quiet as they had been since their last exchange of words, they went up the steps, Lilka not noticing that the trees were alive, that the stars were shining down from the sky above, that everything was fresh and new and a perfect reflection of the place Sora had grown up in. 

Sora opened the door for Lilka and she, with a stifled giggle at his boyish charm, entered. Sora's mom was sitting on the couch. And, across from her, there was a boy who looked almost exactly like Sora, save for short, blonde hair as well as the different attire. Dyne was still wearing the Unknown's coat, but it didn't seem as though Sora's mom had noticed. Lilka stood still. Sora's eyes got as wide as golf balls, and he began to stammer.

"I'm so glad you're home safe, honey!" cooed Mom, who picked herself up immediately and went to Sora, throwing her arms around him before he could say anything. "Those waters can get very dangerous at night!"

"What... is he... doing here!" cried Sora, pointing at Dyne.

"What do you mean? He said he was a friend of yours."

Dyne picked himself up, looking at both Sora and Lilka. He then glared at Lilka with one of the darkest looks she had ever received. Sora caught this as his mom let him go, glanced at Lilka, and then back at Dyne.

"What's your problem?" demanded Sora. His mother was already getting out of the way.

"Oh, nothing at all. We need to talk."

Then, something in Sora's mind jarred. How did he know who this guy was? Why did Dyne seem so isolated, a single link in a long chain of memories that he couldn't recall? Panic flooded him, but Memoria's spell held fast.

"You boys can talk later, after dinner. I have it all fixed up! The table's set and everything. You're more than welcome to join us too, Lilka. I made plenty!" said Sora's mother, already on her way through the revolving doors. Lilka gave the two boys an awkward, somewhat bewildered glance, and then proceeded through the revolving doors.

Dinner was fantastic. Mom had tried out a new recipe, she had stated, and had executed said recipe flawlessly. A chicken dish involving plenty of curry and mounds of rice, with small salads on the side. Lilka had not had such good food in... however long, and the boys downed the food immediately.

Dyne, unfortunately for him, had gotten roped into handling the dinner dishes while Mom retreated to her room and Lilka and Sora were left to their own wiles. Why the blonde-haired boy had complied, nobody knew, but he did the dishes anyway.

Sora was fast losing his grip with reality. The childish enthusiasm and hyperactivity were again present in him as he led Lilka around the house, pointing out this and showing her that. Lilka had gone to the bathroom, perhaps to get away from the excited boy, while Dyne was still in the kitchen.

Sora, having no wish to interact with Dyne and left all alone, stood in the hall, thinking. Where had his mother gone? It had been a good day, all told. Maybe he would go and talk to her. The feeling of profound appreciation for his surroundings returned, and Sora entered his mom's room.

When Dyne finished everything up, his black gloves not even wet from having dealt with the fake dishes and the non-existant water, he turned and went through the revolving doors. Going from the den to the hallway, he paused in mid-transit. He could have sworn he had seen something flit in front of the front window. His eyes narrowed.

Dyne made his way down the hall. Lilka was still in the bathroom, though why she was Dyne neither knew nor wanted to know. He continued down the hall, to the back of it, into Sora's mom's room.

There, on the bed, he saw the female figure, perfectly real-looking in a world of dead emptiness. Sora seemed to be asleep on the bed. Dyne's heart began to sink into his gut. Sora was slipping away very, very quickly. His skin had already gone from its pinkish hue to an unreal white. A Nobody white.

"Sora!"

"...shh. Let the boy sleep. Let him sleep for as long as he wants..."

The mother's soft voice had, somehow, made Dyne calm down. He was still connected to Sora, like that other kid was as well, and so it did not come as a complete surprise to him that what would affect Sora would affect him the same way.

"Let me talk to him."

"Shh. Come here," said Mom, patting the mattress not far from Sora. "Sit here. There's something I want to tell you. But don't wake him."

Dyne was compelled to do so. He moved slowly, watching the woman carefully, as though he were regarding an enemy. She was a Nobody. A very dangerous one at that- a reflection of somebody who meant very, very much to Sora.

"Is Sora... okay?"

"Sora's fine. He's very happy. He's happier now than he has been for a long, long time. Aren't you happy here, too?"

Dyne was silent. He wanted to speak little to this Nobody. Already, he could feel the familiar pull...

"Before Sora was born, I used to picture what he would look like," cooed the Nobody, tousling Sora's hair, running her hands through it. Sora 'hmm'ed contentedly, cuddling closer. Dyne felt the need to do something about it, to protect Sora, to do anything, well up within him, but he forced himself to stay restrained. "I wanted him to be blonde, just like his daddy, but he was born with that mop of hair. It's just something that moms do, you know. We wonder what our little boys will look like, and then dream it up and hope it's real. Then Sora was born, and he was just the same, but no blonde hair. Sometimes I wonder what happened to that dream..."

Dyne felt his stomach turn. He didn't know whether to run away, throw up, or tear Sora away from her. The Nobody reached up her slender fingers and caressed Dyne's cheek.

"In time I forgot, because Sora was such a handful. But... what happens to the forgotten dreams? Do they just vanish? Or do they become guardian angels?"

"They..." Dyne began, and then leapt to his feet, swatting the hand away. "Why are you lying to me!"

"What do you mean, lie? Hasn't Sora told you the story himself?" responded the woman/Nobody, appearing so perfectly innocent in her question that the dual wielder found himself instantly disarmed of his anger. "You know, I tried to teach Sora everything I knew... but there was one thing I regret having left out..."

Mom placed the hand that Dyne rejected onto Sora's head.

"I should have told him as soon as he met Kairi, but I wanted to keep him innocent for just a little while longer... just a little while longer... they grow up so fast..."

Sora stirred at the mention of Kairi's name, his body halting in its transformation for just a moment until his fingers began to elongate.

Dyne looked around for something to grab, to threaten her with, but found nothing. He watched, almost horrified, waiting for this Nobody, this reflection, to bring a conclusion to whatever it was she was talking about.

"I never told Sora... that love is a trap. I love Sora, I don't regret bringing him into my life. Still, I'm not dumb enough not to realize that I was trapped into this. Trapped into this role. That's that the feeling does to you. That's what the Light does to you. It traps you into a role you can't refuse. Darkness...? Well, that's just as bad, isn't it? It's better to stay right in the middle, in-between, where nothing can hurt you."

Dyne dove across the bed, grabbing Sora up in his arms and shooting down the hall. The mother-Nobody did not give chase, but instead extended a hand, sadly, beseeching with distant cries for the dual wielder to give her child back.

"LILKA! RIKU!"

The Crest Sorceress, who had then been lounging in the living room, got to her feet, alarmed. Why was that boy screaming?

Dyne came tearing down the hall, tossing Sora onto the couch, moving to the window to look out of it, panicked.

"Dyne? What's going on?" asked Lilka, afraid.

"God, Riku, please don't tell me you've been drawn back in... oh, shit!" cried Dyne, moving to the doorway hastily. He turned to look at Lilka. "Lilka Eleniak, of Fargaia! This isn't the real Destiny Islands! You're in Memoria! Everything you're seeing is fake! Wake up, because Sora and you and I and Riku are all in it deep!"

Lilka froze in place, her eyes wide. The little doorway, which had hung a little cracked open in the back of Lilka's mind, was blown open. Immediately, the colors faded and they were left with the dull twilight instead of the dark of night. She looked around, frightened, and then looked pleadingly to Dyne.

"What's going on?" she asked, kicking herself inwardly for allowing herself to be fooled by Memoria. Was Dyne's mind really that strong? And- "Where's Riku?"

"I don't think we have time for that. We have company!" cried the dual wielder, who threw himself against the door, bracing against it. Lilka moved to the window, looking out it, her eyes fearful as she realized what he meant by company.

Outside, the dull twilight reflected off of the white figures, giving them an ultraviolet glow. They twitched and spasmed and approached, coming out of the dead woods like angry ghosts. She could see a raincoated figure, hood pulled fully over its face, making its way along the path to the house, taking its time.

"We need to get Sora out of here!" shouted Dyne, stating the obvious. "Lilka, can you still use your magic?"

"I can try!" she replied, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to focus despite the deep terror she felt.

"Get ready!"

Dyne was reaching to turn the deadbolt on the door when, from the bottom-right corner of the frame, a bright red energy blade jutted out. It was brought up vertically, brought down on the other side, and one final slash was made on the top of the door-frame. The blonde, somewhat mesmerized by it, did not have the presence of mind to stop leaning on the door. With a loud crack, the bottom of the door-frame came undone, and Dyne was sent sprawling forward, along with the door.

The raincoated figure Mickey knew as Caejan towered over the boy, whose head (after his body had bounced once or twice) now rested on the Unknown's foot. Dyne could not see past the hood, nor was he sure he wanted to. The Unknown would have to have been smirking.

"Hey there, Caejan," eyes raising hesitantly upward. His heart was pounding. The hum of the energy blade that Caejan had trademarked tended to make one nervous.

The Unknown lifted its boot and placed it on Dyne's head, crushing downward with a twist. A cry of pain, so rare in the dual wielder, echoed outward. Caejan's whispery voice sounded in the blonde's head.

"_Little bug_."

"Why don't you go play with your dolls, Caejan!" Dyne growled through gritted teeth.

"_They're not my dolls. They're his..."_

"I don't see why you're hanging around here anyway. Sora's not even here! He's... at **Kairi's** house! You know, with **Kairi**! The girl he was supposed to give the **Oathkeeper** to!"

Blondie was fully aware that Caejan would see through his bluff, and it would have taken only a quick look within the house to tell, but he wasn't trying to dissuade Caejan from entering the house. He was trying to keep Sora anchored in reality.

"_No, he isn't. He's right here. And he'll stay here, in Memoria, forever. It cannot be stopped_."

The black figure stamped down on Dyne's head, and as the child rolled over, groaning and taking hold of his head, Caejan rocketed his foot into the boy's stomach, and then proceeded to glide into the room. The Nobodies did not move from their places outside, only drifted back and forth as though they were underwater.

"_You knew the risk. I told you to turn away, but you did not heed my warning, and now the ramifications will be tenfold_."

Lilka back away from the door as Caejan moved in, spreading her arms out in an attempt to protect Sora. Her eyes locked on the Unknown, her face an expression of grim determination.

"Leave them **alone**!"

"LILKA! FIGHT THEM!" cried Dyne, scrambling to his feet and charging headlong at Caejan.

The black figure turned and, with a liquid grace, threw his palm out to face Dyne. The charging boy slammed not into the raincoated man but into an azure wall comprised of several blue plates, which would begin to unfold and fade immediately. Lilka, panicked, was not sure was to do.

_Fight them._

The Crest Sorceress reached instinctively into her pocket and retrieved the small summon gem from it. She still stood before Sora, her face angry. The stone emitted a glow much like the glow which came from the sky in Memoria, but this light was different. It was alive, pulsating, powerful.

Caejan quit walking when the hum began. He stood just off the center of the circular living room. Lilka lowered her hand, the power still bursting from it in shining rays, her hair flailing about her head, eyes glowing softly, magical power flowing through her.

The already-tattered ceiling crashed in on the living room. Caejan stood still, watching as the summon spell was cast, while Dyne was already on his way to scooping Sora up off the couch. Lilka stood her ground, fury and power emanating from her eyes.

A massive blade was now embedded in the ground, shining silver and lavender in the dead light, bright gold accenting the surface of the weapon. A black haze rose from the base of the weapon, taking the form of a female warrior who could not have been much older than sixteen. The Sword Magess, Anastasia, gripped the Argetlam blade, drew it from the ground, and faced Caejan, her expression as furious as Lilka's.

Dyne gave Lilka an over-shouldered glance, and the girl made a run for it, allowing the mighty Unknown to deal with the mighty Anastasia. The blonde lunged out of the house, dodging between the claws of the Nobodies, who did not give chase but did not make passage to the beach easy. Lilka was not far behind, hurling small bursts of fire and thunder and lightning at the assailing white monsters, keeping them at bay.

Behind them, the house became a warzone as the cloaked figure dealt with the Argetlam-wielding summon. The walls were being blown apart by the sheer force being exerted between the two, and it was only a few moments before the entire thing collapsed and the black figure, paired with the legendary Sword Magess, went rocketing into the sky, taking their battle into the air.

The Nobodies, perhaps then being commanded by Caejan, began to flood out of the barren woods behind them, an avalanche of reflected or forgotten memories. Lilka and Dyne, Dyne bearing Sora, somehow made it to the dock before the Nobodies had.

"Please, please, please let there be a boat," muttered Dyne, on the verge of collapse. Sora wasn't a light individual.

Fortunately for the both of them, a robed, blindfolded Riku stood at the docks, waiting with oars in hand. The blonde and the Crest Sorceress piled into the boat, Lilka turning to protect them from the Nobodies' onslaught with her magic.

"Riku! Did you... find it? The... keyhole?" spoke Dyne between gasps for breath. The boy leaned back in the boat, heart still throbbing.

"No, I didn't. I think I know who has it, though," replied Riku, paddling like a madman.

Lilka looked herself over, wondering how she had managed to quick-change back into her old Crest Sorceress robes. She had been beginning to like the beachwear.

"Who has it?"

"Caejan."

Dyne was silent for longer than a moment.

"That makes sense, actually. But if he has that keyhole, that means it was Caejan that took it out himself... which means he originated from somewhere beyond Memoria. Beyond the door. That mirror-building."

"I'd assume so. So, Lilka, are you up for mugging an unfathomably powerful Unknown?" asked Riku, smiling ironically.

"Look," replied Lilka softly, pointing into the air, where there was an exchange of silver-purpled and crimson blades lighting the dying sky. It was not long before the purple light faded, and the crimson disappeared shortly after. Lilka looked at the summon gem in her hand as the light within it went out.

"No..."

"You mean he took down that lady with the sword!" stammered Dyne, eyes wide as he looked for the black figure to return to the ground. "Will she be okay?"

"I don't know," responded Lilka, who sat down slowly in the boat. "I..."

_Sis would have been able to._

She frowned.

_If sis summoned Anastasia, she would have creamed that guy. No, your magic just isn't strong enough and now you can't bring her back._

Lilka was now staring at the bottom of the boat, feeling about two inches tall.

Riku began to stand, leaning down to pick the unconscious Sora up. The transformation had halted, but he still looked like some grotesque image of his former self. His skin was an ivory hue, his face mangled into a rounder, grayer form, the seal of Memoria already having etched itself in his forehead.

"All ashore that's going ashore," spoke Riku as they landed, then hopping onto the dock. Dyne followed, helping Lilka out of the boat. The four of them made their way toward the Secret Place, or near there, to either figure out a plan of action or to face Caejan, who would undoubtedly come to claim Sora.

It was not long before trouble would find them. Out of the stagnant waters of the beach came white forms, sluggish for the moment, like dead bodies. Caejan came down from the air, his descent slow, landing softly on the tips of his boots. The figure lowered itself onto flat feet, and regarded the four of them with equal disdain.

"_You hope to escape. You cannot, for I possess the keyhole, and as such, I possess the keys as well_."

Dyne stepped away. How could they face Caejan without keyblades, armed with only Lilka's magic, powerful though it was? She had already used up her summon, and so the blonde was unsure of what was going to happen. He found a role to fulfill quickly, though, because Riku handed Sora over to the blonde. The blindfolded Unknown then called the Nail Bat to his hand, facing Caejan.

"Alright. We can deal with this the easy way, or I can deal with you the easy way. Give us the keyhole," Riku threatened calmly, though Dyne could detect an edge of anxiety in his voice. Maybe Riku had simply been waiting for an excuse to fight Caejan.

"_No._"

Lilka reacted to Riku's instant assault by shrouding the young man in a protective barrier, similar to an Aeroga, less the wind. The original Keyblade Master was now engaged fully in combat with the raincoated figure that he knew had done so much harm.

The black silhouette dealt easily with Riku's blindfolded onslaught, fully aware that the boy was only able to function by sensing the Unknown's power emissions- his energy blades. Within a moment, Caejan had dismissed the blades and quickly dispatched Riku with his bare hands, Lilka's energy barrier proving no good against the physical attack. The platinum blonde screamed in pain at the being's mere touch, and though his words were marred by his cries, Dyne could make out something about betrayal and Sora. Then the man was hurled back toward Lilka and Dyne. The blonde-haired kid had barely enough time to put Sora down and catch the platinum blonde.

He stood Riku up, and the blindfolded unknown straightened himself as well as he could. He could do nothing but acknowledge defeat.

Now Caejan stood facing Dyne and Lilka, Sora unconscious still.

"_Leave the incomplete one here, and perhaps I will let you return to your realm. Where you belong._"

"Incomplete..."

Dyne looked down at the mutated Sora, shaking his head, beginning to set him down.

The Nobodies had still made no movement, though the beach was peppered with countless white figures.

Then, a voice that made Dyne feel both absolutely relieved and absolutely irritated rang over the beach.

"Dyne, don't let him go," commanded Asher, emerging from the Secret Place, robed in an Unknown's cloak. He moved calmly down the steps, emerald eyes locked on the hooded man. The Xinlong, his crystal sword, was strapped over a shoulder. The tail of the robe flowed about his feet as he came down the steps. "Give us the keyhole or I'll take it from you by force. Think twice before making your decision to resist. I have more than one score to settle with you."

Lilka's jaw dropped, seeing something familiar in the black-and-red-haired young man, but restigering a cold hardness in his voice what chilled her. This could not be the same Kydran- er, Asher- that she had spoken to in the gummi ship, that had held Pandora and seemed remotely happy. No, this Asher was bitter, angry, and prepared for battle.

Caejan turned to look at the young man, and froze. Apparently, seeing the boy was not something he had expected at all. No, he had counted on his destruction at the hands of Nemesis, like that girl had been, or that he had been lost in the Darkness-

"_I will not let you pass._"

"You don't have a choice," growled the black-haired boy, taking the sheathed blade into his gloved hands. He drew it, the crystalline edge of the weapon singing as he did so. His eyes locked on Rale, burning with the will to avenge a thousand crimes.

"_So be it._"

Lilka gasped as Asher moved forward. In the blink of an eye he was bearing down on Caejan, utilizing both of his weapons in his assault. A crimson energy-blade extended from each of Caejan's hands, and he used these to defend himself.

The girl made to move forward. She wasn't very strong, but she could help. Before she was able to join the fray, however, Dyne grabbed her arm.

"Don't, Lilka," Dyne advised.

"He can't handle that guy on his own! There's no way!"

"This is Asher's fight. Caejan's done a lot of things to a lot of people, and I hate Asher more than you know, but this is his fight."

The Crest Sorceress paused, watching as keyblade and crystal-sword clashed with buzzing energy in a dying world. She sighed, and moved to Riku's side.

Asher weaved in and out of Caejan's counterattacks, deflected blows and returning with his own, each of them intended to bring a swift end to the being who had given him so much woe.

The boy with hair of black and red forced the Unknown up the small hill toward the dried-up waterfall nearby the Secret Place. Caejan stepped down into the pool of stagnant water, lashing out at the Heart Key-wielder's feet. Asher hopped above the attack and swung, full-force, with the Heart Key at Caejan's head. The Unknown threw up an azure barrier in the last second, and Asher's weapon bounced back with such momentum that the boy had no choice but to fall back, handspring, and somersault into the air.

Asher, having righted himself in midair, hurled the Heart Key at the Unknown, only in time to see Caejan lift into the air, throwing his arms out to both sides, baring his chest. Power exploded from around the Unknown, and the Heart Key bounced harmlessly off. Thick beams of condensed energy burst from the sphere of power engulfing Caejan. As Asher's feet connected with the ground, every one of the beams turned about the sphere and swung in the boy's direction. There was a burst of black power, and Asher was gone, his crystal sword dropping into the sand.

Lilka cried out, and was brought from despair to triumph back to despair as a dark cloud burst into existence just behind Caejan's head; despite the surprise attack, the Unknown had somehow sensed Asher's movement through the Darkness, and his hand wrapped around Asher's neck as he reentered the in-between. The boy gagged, grabbing the Unknown's wrist with both hands for support, and Caejan thrust him up against the walls of he waterfall.

"_So you thought you could hide in the shadows, hmm? It fits you well, but lest we forget, this is my realm. You cannot hide from me._"

Asher's eyes burned with his fury. Power crackled around Caejan's form.

"_Now submit, as your brother did, and serve me_."

Asher extended a hand to summon the Heart Key, and choked, no longer having the support of both hands holding him up. The Unknown grabbed the hand at the wrist, shoving it against Asher's chest, and released the built-up energy into Asher.

Electricity crackled about the boy's form, and he screamed. The Crest Sorceress made to move forward, but Riku grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back. Her eyes were fearful. Dyne only watched, eyes focused on what was happening.

Asher fought to speak.

"Your... this is..."

The electricty was intensified, and Asher's cries no longer rang out along the dead beach. His teeth clenched, and his emerald eyes burned with righteous fury.

As trails of smoke began to waft off of the black-clad boy's body, Lilka lost hope. There was no way the boy was a match for the man in black. It was over.

And then Asher proved her wrong.

It began as a pulse, though Asher's mouth was wide open. His cry forced Caejan to brace himself, and the scream erupted from the boy, shaking the rocks and the earth with its power. Caejan shoved the boy back up against the wall, only to find that the Heart Key was in the boy's free hand. With as much force as he could muster, he brought the keyblade into Caejan's side, and the man stumbled back, dropping Asher to the ground.

Almost instantly, Asher was gone from sight. Another instant and he exploded from a cloud of dark energy, rocketing toward the Unknown. His path carried him over the dropped crystal sword, which he picked up before plowing into Caejan, slamming him up against the rock face of the waterfall. The boy somersaulted backwards, landing on his feet, and threw himself at the Unknown again.

The two engaged in a furious bout of swordplay in the small waterfall-area, though it soon became clear who was the better. Caejan was sucking Asher into a pattern, and before Asher had realized it, he had already thrust forward with the Xinlong, expecting a connection with Caejan's chest.

He realized, only in time to duck down beneath the head-strike and retaliate, that he had overcommitted. He was now down on a knee, teeth gritted, swords spinning as he tried to protect himself from the enigmatic man's onslaught.

"This is all your fault!" screamed Asher, arms weakening. He couldn't keep it up for long. "The Nemesis, the Heart Key, Clockwork Town, Omega WEAPON, everything! It's all your fault!"

"_Aside from the destruction of Clockwork Town, The Nemesis, and the Omega WEAPON, you would be right_," responded the voices of everybody Asher ever knew, and if the Unknown had had a face, he would have been smirking. "_And now I think that I will kill you, erase you from all four realms. I am sure the Keyblade Master will appreciate it._"

The Unknown, forcing Asher into a compromising position, parried both the boy's weapons out of the way and sent a boot into his chin. The boy grunted and flew upward into the air, fighting to regain control of his momentum.

Caejan's hand crackled with azure power. The Unknown extended its fingers out at Asher, and in an instant, the killing power was sent lashing at the airborne boy.

Asher's eyes narrowed, then shut as he focused. His form was surrounded in a cloud of Darkness, and he was instantly righted in midair. Both his arms shot forward, his crystalline weapon braced by his hands. The lightning roiled against the weapon, snapping and licking at the air, and when Caejan had finished, Asher's weapon shone with a brilliance that lit the area around them.

The boy pointed the end of the weapon at the black silhouette. The power lashed out. The lightning connected, and Caejan stumbled back, then froze in mid-fall.

In the Unknown's chest, a keyhole-form began to take shape. The being began to fall back, slowly, as though frozen in time, and the piece of the door which Caejan had taken fell from his chest as did whatever energy-form that had been held within the robe. The black-blue light burst from Caejan's torso, and the clothes then floated, empty, to the ground. The door-piece landed atop the black attire.

The Nobodies all shuddered at once, cringing as though some immense pain had ripped through each of them.

The boy landed on his feet, fighting to stand.

Lilka ran to Asher's side. She helped him get to his feet, watching the Nobodies warily. They all then began to close in on the five heroes. Riku dashed to Caejan's leftovers, snatched up the keyhole, and turned, tossing it to Dyne, who was able to catch it on Sora's chest.

Asher struggled, with Lilka's help, to get to his feet, still jarred by the beating Caejan had dealt him. The party then worked their way toward the Secret Place, and before they had reached it, Riku turned, the Inverse Key in one hand and the Nail Bat in the other.

"Go! I'll hold them off! Keep Sora safe, I'll be there soon!"

Dyne nodded, and charged into the little cave, Sora in his arms. Lilka felt better by the reassurance, while Asher was unable to speak. Riku was a blur of dark and light, keeping the Nobodies at bay, slowly working his way into the Secret Place.

When he finally had the chance to get through, he charged down the hall, looking over his shoulder, legs pumping to carry him as fast as he could make them. The Nobodies flooded the cave entrance, flooded into the cave, some walking, others crawling along the edges and the walls and filling every crack and crevice.

Asher, now able to stand, righted himself as Lilka placed the missing keyhole into the doorway. Riku pointed Mickey's Kingdom Key at the keyhole, a small cerulean beam flowing into it. An 'unlocking' sound echoed in the cave, though it was drowned out by the sound of the Nobodies streaming into the cave. Riku, Lilka, Dyne (still carrying Sora) and Asher all shot through the now-opened door and ran beyond.

The Nobodies flowed out along the sides of the massive wall that the party had run out of. There was a wall behind, and a wall ahead. Beneath their feet was soft green grass, though the light in the sky was still old and worn. Ahead, a pair of massive mirrored doors stood, and as the group approached, the enormous doors cracked open just barely, which was more than enough to fit two people through. The group did not have time to look around and consider the scenery.

They ran across the threshold.


	20. Mirrors

**

* * *

Chapter 16 - ****Mirrors

* * *

**

Dyne set Sora down, and the others crowded around the unconscious Keyblade Master. Asher squatted down, looking him over, his face stonelike, unreadable. The black-haired boy did not touch him at all. Lilka and Riku stood behind Dyne, while Dyne crouched to level with Asher.

They were in what seemed to be a massive, polished-silver antechamber. It was a circular chamber, massive, the walls reflecting everything with a pristine surface. High above them, the roof domed into symmetrical perfection. The entrance, a large polished archway, was now blocked by a mass of Nobodies which ripped and tore at the walls in an attempt to get inside, though they could not, as if repelled by an invisible barrier. The only other way out of the domed room was through a pair of massive doors, but it was agreed that this was a safe place to recuperate for a moment.

Sora was already beginning to revert back to his original form. His fingers were shortening back to normal length, his skin turning from the Nobody-white to the tanned bronze he had been before being fooled by Memoria's wiles.

"Asher!" cried Lilka after a silent Sora-vigil, rushing to the boy. He glanced up at her, and then looked back to Sora, his face expressionless. Lilka squatted down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We thought you were dead."

Asher ran a gloved hand through his hair, and it was then that Lilka realized there was something more than just his countenance that had changed. His hair wasn't plain black anymore- it was black with bright crimson streaks running through it. He was quiet.

"When you and Pandora didn't come back from Halloween Town, we-"

The boy cringed at the word 'Pandora', as though the word itself were acidic. He turned to look at the Crest Sorceress, and in his eyes she could read what had happened to her.

"I'm so sorry..."

Riku looked on, intrigued. There had been much going on while he was not around, though he had heard Dyne speak of Asher before, and never in a positive light. The platinum blonde folded his arms across his chest, watching through the blindfold, not sure what to make of Asher's dark aura. If Sora gave off a bright white energy signal, then Asher was a void, a solid black form in Riku's burned eyes.

Dyne didn't appear to feel pity or intrigue at Asher at all.

"What the hell are you doing here!" cried the blonde, waving his arms in the air and getting to his feet. Asher stood as well, eyeing the Sora clone, left hand resting on his hip.

"Saving your asses. Something wrong with that?" retorted Asher flatly, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, there is. You tried killing Sora last time- how do we know you won't do it again?"

"Dyne, leave him alone," interceded Lilka, moving between then and looking Dyne straight in the eyes. "If it wasn't for him, Caejan would have slaughtered us, and you know it."

The dual wielder 'hmph'ed and skulked toward the door leading further into the large building.

"Don't run off, now. You might have to stop me from killing Sora," called Asher sarcastically before looking to Lilka, nodding.

"We'd better rest as much as we can before Sora wakes up. We don't know what's past that door, so we'd better be ready," stated Riku loudly, his voice echoing metallic against the walls. The blindfolded Unknown rolled up the hood of his cloak and laid down on his back, taking a deep sigh.

Lilka nodded and lay down by Riku. Dyne remained standing, while Asher sat down, placing his head on his knees and keeping a watchful eye on Sora.

Sora's healing was slow, but he gradually came to. The Keyblade Master, clad in black, opened his blue eyes- and the first thing he saw was Asher's emerald gaze. Sora leapt up, and then fell back, holding his head, groaning.

"Don't get up too fast. You've just gotten better," said Asher softly, smiling oddly.

"Asher... you're okay! I can't believe it!" cried Sora, raising himself up more slowly and grinning from ear to ear. "What happened? I remember going into the coffin to be alone, and then the next thing I knew I was remembering Castle Oblivion, and then we were at Hollow Bastion. And you're wearing that coat! What happened to you?"

Sora's friend was silent as he got to his feet, stretching, then extending a gloved hand to help Sora up, his face unreadable. The Keybearer looked at the hand, frowned, and then reached for it. Asher's hand clamped onto Sora's.

* * *

_His voice... it's left me._

_My... name...?_

_Kydran...? Where are you...?_

_Pandora...?_

_I..._

_Pan... Pandora! What- augh!_

_What am I doing here? It's cold... too cold... winter cold..._

_Who are you?_

_Where's Sora?_

_("Kydran! What's wrong! Tell me!")_

_You brought me back... what's going on? Where are we?_

_("Come back!")_

_...no... go back..._

_("I can't!")_

_No, this can't be happening! He's here, it's here, in this place... my Nemesis..._

(_Do not resist. Give me what I desire_.)

_("I know... I know you're here for your boy. Show your face, you slime.")_

(_Stand aside or be forever trapped in oblivion_.)

_("He would never forget me.")_

_("You cannot have him.")_

_Pandora! **NO**!_

"_Where... am I?"_

_Asher stood up, looking around himself, down at his hands. Was he still real? Did he still exist? _

_"...Pandora?"_

_The girl was nowhere to be found. Asher sat down, finding some sort of solidity in the void, and placed his head on his knees. _

_"Pandora..."_

_The girl he loved so much. He was going to become a noble one day, become somebody important. He would live in the silver spire with Pandora and never worry about dying in the sea of oil or suffocating on the ever-present pollution, and then he would find his _real_ mother and _real_ father and then everything would be okay and Kydran would never have to protect him again because he could protect himself..._

_Not anymore. He was so far from home. He didn't know how to feel about that, but he knew how to feel about Pandora's destruction. Tears, whether they were real or not, flooded from his eyes and wails of agony, of deepest pain, rang out into the void but were not echoed back. His tears may not have been real, but the gut-wrenching despair was._

_The boy wept and wept. He wept for an eternity._

_("Is this... where the forgotten people go...?")_

_After forever, the boy got to his feet, the tears still wet on his cheeks but perhaps not. He frowned and began to think._

_("No. Sora wouldn't forget me. He can't. As long as he exists, I exist.")_

(_Sora still exists. I know he does, he has to... he's out there somewhere, realizing what we went through, realizing that we're connected, that it wasn't just chance that I found him in Traverse Town. That it's not just chance that I exist. I exist because of him. That was my choice.)_

_He looked down at the weapon in his hand. Had it been there before? The sentient Heart Key had followed him into the realm of non-existence, and he smiled wryly. How many universal physical laws had been broken by his, and the keyblade's, presence here? He raised a hand up and felt for the Xinlong, and sighed. At least he could defend himself._

_Asher began to walk, thinking of Sora. And himself. He felt the Id within him, tugging at the back of his consciousness, fighting for control of his body. He wondered if his hair had gone back to normal. Then he realized something._

_The man in black had given him the Heart Key for a reason. He knew it now, had realized it with more clarity than ever before, and now him mind wrapped around the purpose behind it. The man had never told him anything about the Heart Key, had never even brought it up, while they had been meeting in Castle Oblivion. All that Asher was left with was the knowledge the he was a master manipulator, that everything had been a part of his machinations._

_His eyes traveled over the length of the weapon again. If Sora was to go to the Door to Light, then wouldn't it be intended for himself to go to the Door to the Darkness ? To the gates of Kingdom Hearts itself ? _

_No. He wouldn't. That's what he wants. He's manipulated everything from the start, and Asher would put a stop to it now._

_Asher's eyes traveled from the ground, into the void that would be the sky, and smiled. His eyes closed, and he fell back._

_"Take me to Sora."

* * *

_

Asher let go of Sora's hand. The jolted Keyblade Master stumbled back, grasping the hand that Asher had used, looking down at it. The padding on the glove was pressed down, as if he had just gotten through an arm-wrestling match with Sephiroth. He righted himself, and looked from his hand to Asher's cool emerald gaze. The boy in the black coat got to his feet, and watched his alarmed friend.

"You... the... Nemesis destroyed Pandora? And you survived. How? It would have killed you! " "I think Pandora's final act was to protect me, to get Nemesis as far away from me as possible. I don't know where she sent it, but it was... far away. Since Memoria had nearly eaten away all of your heart, it wasn't too hard to will the Heart Key back."

Everybody else was on their feet, looking on, speechless. Speechless, that is, until Dyne had something to say, after placing a hand to his forehead. He was getting one of the largest migraines he could remember, and he had had more than one.

"Yeah, that's cool and all, but do you think I'm #$ stupid? I saw what happened before you turned Leon into a monster and tried to kill me. This Id is still in you, isn't it?"

Riku and Lilka looked absolutely clueless.

"Yes, but not in the way you think."

"Not in the way I think? If it's still in you, it's still a danger to us all!" growled Dyne, lowering his hand from his head and glaring at the boy.

"If you'd let me finish, I'd tell you why none of you ever have to worry about him again. The first place the Darkness took me was the Destiny Islands. I looked all over for Sora there, but found nobody. I had no real way to get off the Islands, and because I didn't want to be a danger to anyone, I isolated myself on a smaller island off of the main one, where I think Sora and Riku lived.

"It was there, alone with myself, that I realized what had been happening. Caejan had somehow trapped the Id into the Xinlong, and that is how he was able to influence me. I took my fight into the sword, and fought against my Id.

"I had idea as to how much power the Id possessed. I can only imagine that when I was whole, before Clockwork Town came apart, that I had the power to control the Darkness, and in a radical way. When I forced the Id to submit, and became whole again, his control over the Darkness became mine."

"Asher... was Kairi still on the Islands? Was she still there, was she okay?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, she was," replied Asher, turning and looking to Sora. "She helped me to get here. She holds a fragment of the original Light of Memoria in her heart. I used this Light to find my way here."

"Thanks for the story, but how the hell did you get past the Mist?" asked Dyne, folding his arms. "You can't come alone."

Asher was silent.

"Who cares? Now that Caejan's out of the picture, it'll be a piece of cake to get to where we're going!" laughed Sora, already on his way to the large door leading further into the fortress. His smile was a mile wide. Simply knowing that Kairi was okay had done wonders.

"Don't forget, Sora. This is Memoria. Nothing is a piece of cake here. Caejan was the least of our worries," stated Asher, beginning to follow.

They all moved toward the only door they had the choice to go through.

The Keyblade Master placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the gate. The twin doors were not noteworthy, and if somebody didn't pay close attention, they might not have even been noticed, such was their reflective quality. Sora examined the doors for any sign of a keyhole. Finding none, he reared back with one of his massive sneakers and kicked the door as hard as he could.

"Hello? Anybody home?" shouted Sora, and Dyne grabbed a hold of the Keybearer's hoodie, yanking him back.

"Don't do that. Somebody just might answer."

However, the kick Sora had delivered triggered something. A low rumble began to shake the hallway. The ground began to shake as unseen cogs and gears and chain and pulleys moved, threatening to knock all of them off of their feet. When the sound of it came close to bursting their eardrums, it stopped suddenly with a soft 'ping'. The door then cracked open a little, a small enough entry for them to just slide in.

Asher placed his face in a gloved hand in a motion not dissimilar to Leon's famous indicator of exasperation.

"Look, the next time you feel the need to kick a door that's four times our combined sizes, just… don't."

Sora turned and grinned lopsidedly, then sallied forth. Dyne followed, but Lilka paused at the door.

"Are you guys sure you wanna do this?" she asked timidly. "I mean, we don't know what's out there."

"If you want, you can ask them to please move out of the way," responded Riku, motioning at the Nobodies blocking the way back to the broken realm behind them and grinning good-naturedly. "I'm sure they'll listen."

Lilka smiled, shook her head, and followed Riku through the door. Asher was the last to go in.

* * *

They all found themselves in a long, narrow corridor. Riku could not tell what was going on, and could only follow the energy-signals of his comrades; he could sense no life or Light or Dark in this place save for that which the walls reflected. Everything was chaos. An act as simple as walking became a momentous feat as the walls twisted and turned all of them into a kaleidoscope of reflections. 

Asher was quickly beginning to have a hard time keeping track of which groups were the real ones and which were just the reflections of the mirrors, but did as best he could without getting dizzy. Dyne and Sora didn't have much difficulty sticking together.

"What is this place?" asked Lilka, dazed at all the reflections.

Dyne paused to look at himself in the mirror. He was unpleasantly surprised to find that his hair was no longer blonde, no longer well-managed but instead that strange mop of hair that Sora had. It was like looking at Sora in an Unknown cloak. Angrily, he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yeah. Real original, Memoria... this is a funhouse, obviously."

Riku stopped in midstep, and then sank back, craning his neck as though listening to something distant.

"Be on your guard. We're expected," Riku warned, continuing onward.

"Then I hope they're ready, because once we're done with this baloney, I am finding the nearest restaurant and eating until my belts don't fit anymore. That reminds me, I still owe you a ham sandwich, don't I, Asher?" smiled Sora as he walked along, his hands placed behind his head.

There was no response. Sora stopped smiling.

"Asher?"

Sora turned around, lowering his arms, worry welling up within his gut. They had just been reunited, they couldn't be separated now!

"Asher!"

By now, Riku and Lilka had turned, Dyne at last looking as well, but not for the same reason. Asher was nowhere to be found; not even his reflection was present any longer.

"Stay here, guys, I'm going to see what happened to him. Asher!" shouted Sora, running in the direction from whence they all came. Dyne groaned, exasperated, and took off after the Keybearer. Lilka and Riku glanced at each other and, shrugging, took up the rear flank.

Asher could not be found. Despite Sora's yelling (which Dyne was trying, futilely, to quiet), no black-and-red-haired kid had turned up yet. Discouraged, Sora began to turn back to go back and frowned. Lilka and Riku weren't there anymore. He turned to ask Dyne if he knew what was going on, but he wasn't there either. What Sora was seeing now was a perfect replica of himself.

The poseur-Sora was exactly his size, exactly his shape, was wearing the exact same clothes, and was the same as Sora in every way except one. Instead of eyes, the reflection had a pair of rounded, reflective orbs in its sockets. The Keyblade Master was in the process of trying to figure out what he was looking at when the replica Sora summoned a replica Kingdom Key and launched an assault on the real Sora.

Riku had lost track of Lilka. He thought she had been right behind him, had heard her footsteps, but when he turned to check if she was still there, her energy signal was gone. Long gone. Frowning, he scanned his immediate surroundings, but found that he was surrounded on all sides by reflections of his own energy. Unworried but certainly nonplussed, he folded his arms, not sure whether to call to see if his friends were still near or not.

Something then plowed into Riku. He literally hadn't seen it coming, and felt only a cold touch freezing enough to burn before landing on the ground. Reacting, he rolled to his feet and summoned Mickey's Inverse Key, readying himself. He listened intently, hearing erratic footfalls behind him. He heard the keyblade as it was swung through the air. Turning, he parried the keyblade away. Thus began a fight between a blind man and his equally blind reflection.

Dyne had not been surprised when he had been separated from Sora and his poseur stepped into view. This was Memoria, and he was in a hall of mirrors. Everything they'd gone through so far had done something to test them- first, they'd had their camaraderie tested. Then it was their own desires they faced, and now that they were in a giant fortress of mirrors, it only made sense that they would have to face themselves. Dyne armed himself with Oblivion, as did the Dyne-replica, and the fight for his life began.

Lilka, in the meantime, had her own reflection to deal with. She was unsure of what to do until the false Lilka launched its attack. Lilka began to run away as fast as she could.

Sora weaved and bobbed away from the incoming keyblade strokes, eyes narrowing. He almost never went full power, never against anything non-Heartless. When he saw those creatures of Darkness, those that constantly tried to steal the hearts of those people who had been placed in his charge, he did not hold back. He found himself forced to hold nothing back in the fight against himself, as well.

Plucking the Oathkeeper out of its resting place, Sora launched a counterattack against his copy, but found himself facing a Kingdom Key and an Oathkeeper as well.

"Just... get... out... of... my... way! I just want to... get back with my friends... then we'll be out of here!" breathed Sora between slashes and dodges and parries. The reflection would not let him pass.

In fact, the more Sora thought about it, the more he realized he did not see a way out. He was trapped in a kaleidoscopic dome against himself, and his poseur had the home-turf advantage. Sora turned away a slash from his opponent, swept it aside and moved in as quickly as he could to his copy's right side. Bringing the Oathkeeper in his left hand full-circle over his head, Sora slammed the weapon into his foe.

The mirror shattered.

Sora's eyes went wide, and he whipped around only to catch his foe's Kingdom Key in the side of the head. Stumbling sideways, lacking the time or position to bring his weapons up from his sides, he charged forward with a dodge roll to avoid the next strike, but did not get far, running into another mirror. Rolling back to avoid another swing, he got to his feet and braced himself.

Riku and his blind copy fought as well as they could, being that both were blind. There was little the copy could do to land a hit on Riku, and Riku did not have to worry about the kaleidoscopic effect of the mirrors, but he was blind to his enemy's location. It became a game of hit-and-miss.

Dyne caught his replica's Oblivion against the length of his blade, and with a flick of the wrist, locked his foe's blade in the teeth of the real Oblivion. Expecting to be able to yank it out of the Dyne-copy's hands, he tugged, but found that he copy had unbound his blade and charged forward. Dyne could not recover fast enough to counterattack, so as the replica attempted to plunge its keyblade into him, he made a quick jump and landed on the thrusted Oblivion.

"Watch out. You might scar your pretty face," remarked Dyne, focusing his power and casting an Aeroga shield about himself, letting himself fall back off of his foe's keyblade. The powerful gust rocked the fake Oblivion into its owner's face. The Dyne facsimile lost its grip on the Oblivion, and it spun, bouncing off of the poseur's face and into the air. Dyne caught it easily.

The fake Dyne landed, completely unharmed and surrounded in an Aeroga field. Just as the blonde-haired, unknown-cloaked kid stood with two Oblivions, so did his foe.

"That's real fair," muttered Dyne, accepting his foe's attack with his own formidable defense.

Razor-sharp glass shards sprayed from all sides in Sora's direction, and while he shielded his face, he could feel the glass embedding itself in his skin. This was the unlucky result of the Thundaga Sora had cast in his frustration at the mirrors- a mass-destruction spell might take care of them all, but that had been a mistake.

The boy's sapphire eyes became golf ball-sized as his reflection, which was now pincushioned with mirror shards, launched an assault on the floored Sora. He fought to defend himself as best he could, but did so with immense difficulty. Sora called the words of power into the air and an Aeroga shield expanded around him, bouncing him to his feet. The pain was intense, but he had little time to heal himself and even littler time to attack.

Dyne stumbled back, rocked by his opponent's Firaga spell as well as the Strike Raid immediately following it. He looked himself over, and then looked to his replica. Its cloak was singed and its chest was cut as well. This thing fought exactly like him, looked exactly like him...

It was also bleeding exactly like him.

The replica, realizing what Dyne was going to try to do, simply stood there with a snide expression on its face, completely silent.

Dyne plunged the Oblivion into his own chest.

Sora grunted, dropping the Kingdom Key to grasp his chest. His replica did, as well, the same with Dyne's facsimile. The Keybearer's thoughts raced, and he knew exactly who had done what. Dyne was hurt, bad.

The blonde haired kid in the Unknown coat yanked the dark keyblade from his sternum, teeth clenched tightly, dropping to both of his knees. As the initial system shock from the piercing faded, Dyne was filled with such agony that he couldn't find the breath to cry out- and neither could his copy, which was now frantically looking for some way to recover from the blow it had been dealt.

The dual wielder wavered on his knees, and dropped forward with a hard thud as his head his the ground. The Oblivion, no longer tied to reality by Dyne's will, unsummoned itself in a dark flare of energy. The Oblivion-replicas disappeared as well.

Panic flooded Sora, and in this stunned moment his copy slammed its Kingdom Key into his shoulder. The Keyblade Master yelped, stumbling back, grasping the injured shoulder. Blood began to flood over his clothing. By looking at his facsimile, he knew he'd nearly had his arm taken off. He looked terrible.

The Sora-copy, injured though it was, trudged toward the stunned Keybearer, and raised the Oathkeeper to strike. It was then that the tide of battle turned.

_Kairi._

Sora's breath caught in his throat. He was going to be killed by the Oathkeeper, Kairi's charm, the one item that reminded him of his promise that he would return to her, that he would give her lucky charm back to her and they would be together forever-

The anger, repressed by his 'stay-jolly' appearance, began to flare upward. This time, he did not restrain it. He began to release it all. His possessiveness, his will to be the center of attention, to never be beaten. It was all his. It was all his responsibility, it all belonged to him, all of the worlds, his own destiny, all hearts, everything. He was the Keyblade Master.

"That keyblade is MINE!"

Sora pulled at the replica Oathkeeper, willing it to go away. The reflection pulled back just as hard.

"ALL OF THEM!" Sora roared, strength and adrenaline filling him. He launched himself forward, each keyblade in turn being called to him. The Kingdom Key, the Inverse Key, the Oblivion, the Oathkeeper, the Jungle King... every single one except the one that _didn't_ belong to him- and here, when he was most reminded of Asher and Asher's Id, perhaps even then the Heart Key belonged to Sora.

The keyblades were hurled, in Strike Raid form, at the fake Sora. Still, the reflection was calling out just as many, throwing just as many back to deflect each one Sora threw.

Sora, ignoring what wounds he had taken so far, screamed his frustration. Deep within the back of his mind, he wondered how the hero of Light could have all this within himself, but he realized that it didn't matter because anger and fury were tools, just like the Darkness was a tool.

_(He looks just like you.)_

_Dyne smiled faintly within his unconsciousness, and remembered_.

"C'mon! You want to be me? Try it. **I dare you**!" bellowed the Keybearer, his eyes shooting wide open as his own keyblades stopped firing at his replica and he found a wave of keyblades directed at him. "**TRY IT**!"

Sora's eye blazed with Light. Something had _clicked_. He then knew how close they had come to the Door, how soon it would be until his destiny would be realized because now he was tapping not into his own Light but into ages and ages of memories and that was only scratching the surface-

From Sora, whose face was marred and bleeding, who was battered and cut all over, erupted a bellow strong enough to shatter the glass mirrors all around him. The countless tiny shards sprayed out, but never touched Sora, and neither did the keyblades is replica had hurled at him. This scream was not a result of anger or hate, but it was the only way Sora could think of in that solar-flare instant to release it all without letting it consume him as well.

Sora felt it deep within himself then, allowed himself to feel. Everything that was, everything he was destined to be, everything that he would return to, he felt. The overpowering Light, the one that the Nobody-mother had, truthfully, said traps you into your destiny. It was Sora's burden-

(_don't forget me don't let it go you can't I can't I can't take this burden-)_

...to carry the keys, to be the Keybearer, because it allowed him to protect his friends, to protect everybody. This protective, possessive trait in Sora was evident in his friends; there was Riku, and there was Kairi. Riku could fend for himself, but Sora felt it necessary to follow him to whatever worlds he was going to- not to see what was out there, because he didn't care. But he _did_ care about Riku. Kairi, as well.

The Light pulsed once more at the thought of Kairi.

This was Sora's burden, a real burden, one that robbed him of the ability to **absolutely** hate anybody, the one that made him always open to forgiveness. One that prompted him to open his heart to anything that carried even the remotest flicker of Light.

The replica, being only an antibody in Memorian funhouse, had no burden. It was a lifeless thing, and could not accept the Light as Sora had because it had no Light just as it had no Dark. The facsimile would flounder and try to send the Light back, but the Light held no danger for Sora, it could not consume him, he could not be lost in it any longer. No, he knew his place. He knew what was real. His reflection certainly was not.

After the one, massive pulse of Light, there followed the ear-splitting sound of infinite glass panels shattering everywhere. Then the light was gone. All of the heroes stood (or lay) there, in the dark, separated but not alone.

A single ray of light shined in from a doorway, blocked by a humanoid, cloaked form. Sora sank to his knees, both mentally, spiritually, and physically exhausted. If that was Caejan, or anybody hostile, he would have no way to defend himself.

"What the hell did you people do?" Asher's voice echoed from said doorway. Sora had never been more relieved to hear his friend's voice.


	21. Elysium

**

* * *

Chapter 17 - ****Elysium

* * *

**

Sora's eyes opened slowly. Asher looked down at him, smiling at the Keybearer with that smile, Asher's strange smile that Sora was beginning to understand. The smile told him that Sora was important to Asher, that even if the black-haired boy could find the words to embody how he felt about Sora, the smile took much less time and told much more.

"Good to see you're awake. I don't know how you did it, but you wrecked the entire Fortress. The place is hollowed out," announced Asher after a quiet moment between the two of them. Sora nodded, then grimaced. His neck- no, his entire body- was hurting.

For a moment, Sora could not say anything. It was not from the pain, but from knowing that he had not made a mistake in becoming Asher's friend.

"Is everybody okay?" asked the brown-haired young man after a short period of silence.

"Everybody's fine. Or, will be, after a little while. Dyne was in really, really bad shape. Lilka, too. Riku was practically unharmed, though. And you... your entire body was sunburned," grinned the bearer of the Heart Key. "You're as red as a beet all over."

Sora frowned, unsure of why he would look so bad or be so sunburned. And then it all came flooding back. Sora's eyes grew wide, his mouth drooped open, and he began to stammer. Asher shook his head.

"Look, just rest. Riku is with Dyne and Lilka. He'll be glad to know you're conscious again."

Sora's mouth closed, and Asher got to his feet. He was still wearing the black Unknown's cloak, but the locked-heart pendant hung out of the folds at the neck and dangled just over his chest. He turned to leave.

"Asher, wait," called Sora. Asher turned.

"Where are we?"

"Elysium. We're in the last bastion of sanity we'll find before we reach the Door," replied the cloaked young man before he turned and left. Sora fell asleep again.

* * *

Over a relatively short period of time, with the help of strong curative magics and medicines, everybody was on their feet again. Riku and Asher had both played an integral role in getting Lilka, Sora, and Dyne back to functional level. It took time for Sora's burns to heal, for Dyne's wounds to seal up and go away, and for the drained and battered Lilka to even stand again. 

Both Lilka and Dyne had to be told where they were and how long they had been in their comatose states. Sora had been the first to awake and move around, Dyne next, Lilka last of all.

Asher was least concerned with Dyne, familiar with his stubbornness and recuperative ability. Sora was able to get around while the dual wielder was unconscious, and kept vigil over him while he himself healed.

Riku rarely left the side of Lilka's bed. The owner of the house in which they stayed could not get over how strange it looked for a blindfolded man to be keeping watch over a hopelessly injured girl. Still, the healing spells worked wonders, and in time, Lilka was able to get to her feet.

Dyne would forever carry the mark of his own (seemingly) wasted self-sacrifice, a large scar on his chest running from the bottom of his sternum to the top of it. When he was able to move, however, move he did. He had a tailor fix his Unknown's raincoat.

While both Sora and Dyne had healed fully, Lilka was still comatose. Somebody was with her, constantly, and it was usually Riku. During this time, only Asher would leave the house that had taken them in. Nobody cared. The girl was their primary concern, and Sora most of all kicked himself for not being able to protect her. Riku was very quiet the entire time.

"Sora... you look terrible," had been the first, weak words out of her mouth. She smiled faintly, and Sora's heart leapt. He immediately called for the others, and they were there in an instant, Asher straggling because he had been in town gathering information.

"Lilka, we didn't think you were going to make it," said Riku, a smile finally gracing his lips. The girl turned to him and beamed as well as she could manage.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to, either. I thought you had all died, for a minute, until..."

"Until what?" asked Sora, highly attentive.

"Well, not until. I never really believed that any of you were dead. I just knew, in my heart, that everyone was okay. Except for Dyne. When I passed out, I thought I was seeing things through your eyes. All of you guys' eyes."

"That's because we're all in each other's hearts!" beamed Sora, not bothering to hide the elation he felt.

"It was probably so... conspicuous, I guess, because we're so close to our destination," thought Asher aloud. "By the Light, everything is connected, so I guess the closer we get to it, the closer our connection becomes. I bet, if I wanted to, I could reach anybody not consumed by Darkness."

"You really think so! You mean, I might be able to reach Kairi!" exclaimed Sora, instantly in Asher's face. "Tell me how!"

Asher shook his head.

"No no, not like that. More like... everybody knows we're okay. They know we haven't failed yet, that we took a lickin' but we're still tickin'."

"Speaking of which, how the hell did you get out of the Fortress before we did, Asher?" asked Dyne, finally, and with not a little accusation in his voice.

"I've spent all my life fighting against myself. You'd think I'd be good at it by now. Really, Dyne, you could have figured that one out for yourself," responded the black haired boy with an airy tone, intended to frustrate the blonde-haired boy. It worked. The dual wielder left the room.

"You should stay here in bed, Lilka. I've been gathering what we'll need while you guys have been recuperating. I found out what we're in for next."

"Asher, you said we were in Elysium. What _is_ Elysium, anyway?" asked Sora while Lilka began to sink further into the comfortable bed she had been provided. Riku still seemed to be watching the Crest Sorceress.

"It's the only place left in Memoria that's like Memoria before the Darkness came. Most of Memoria was consumed by oblivion, forgotten and left behind, made hollow. Those who have forgotten and have been forgotten are in Memoria. The Fortress keeps Elysium safe from the ravages of the Darkness, but you destroyed it, Sora. Elysium won't stay perfect for much longer."

"You mean... I destroyed Elysium's only defense!"

"Yeah, but the people aren't scared or angry. Everybody's so... placid here. It's like they've been waiting for you to come all this time."

Sora, who was almost fully recovered by this time, shook his head.

"Oh, man..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm more worried about what's ahead of us."

"What's that?"

"The Sea of Faces."

* * *

Elysium was, indeed, a perfect world. The sun was always shining up above, nobody ever slept, and the grass was constantly green. The air was always room temperature, nothing ever changed. Nobody in Elysium even remembered the destruction of Memoria. Or, at least, nobody made mention of it. 

Asher had become very familiar with the town, and had spent some time in the immense library in the center of Elysium. He had picked up bits and pieces of its past, including mention of a legendary hero, long ago, named Caejan. The name was always surrounded by mention of keyblades, and by the records, Asher found that he was the first Keyblade Master to ever exist.

There were also diagrams and illustrations indicating a massive war between Light and Dark that tore Memoria to shreds, and that the worlds were separated by Caejan. A powerful weapon, called the Genetermina, had polarized into two separate weapons, as had the Light and the Dark. The two halves were named the Genesis and the Termina.

Why the Genesis and Termina were also referred to, several times, as the 'Mother and Father of All Keys', he did not have the time to look into, and much of the writing had not been translated so that he could read it.

The black-haired boy decided not to tell Sora and the others about this information immediately, not really having seen a reason to. They were still injured, and had a lot on their plates. He had, however, discovered something much mroe relevant: that they were very close, indeed, to their destination.

As the Heart Key wielder would later tell them, their goal was just beyond the Sea of Faces.  
In the middle of the Sea, directly out from the dock of Elysium, was an immense dome. Inside this dome, the books told him, three beings called 'Moirae' rested and held vigil over the Light, the true Light, the source and storage of all memories past, present, and future.

Having related all of this to the others, it was no longer a matter of not knowing but a matter of will. Sora had the drive, of course; this was his destiny, or so he strongly believed. The others would follow him to the end of all worlds if need be, so that was no longer an issue, either.

Therefore, it was only a matter of time.


	22. Reality

**

* * *

Chapter 18 - ****Reality

* * *

**

_Sora immediately recognized his surroundings. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, but the smell of the ocean air and the warm sun and sea breeze on his skin let him know he was home. Back at Destiny Islands. _

_He could not see, because he was blindfolded, but he wondered for a moment exactly how important sight was, anyway. Riku was able to function without it. Maybe if he could see the Light and Dark in everything, too..._

Dyne lay back in bed, a pillow over his eyes to shut out the daylight that was a constant in Elysium. Did anybody ever sleep there? Only the five outsiders did, and it was very hard for them to do so, being that none of them were comatose any longer. And they weren't staying much longer anyway. Sora had insisted that they leave as soon as possible.

Then Dyne began to see things. The darkness of the pillow swirled, became brighter. He groaned in protest, but couldn't be sure of whether his body had groaned or his spirit had groaned. He was becoming aware of Sora's dream sequences, of his memories, as well.

This dream was so much worse than before. Not in the way one would think; these dreams were not nightmarish or frightening, but Dyne was no longer feeling simple instinct over Sora's feelings, was not only being sent impressions of his emotions. He was seeing Sora's dreams, being a part of them, in them, being just as much a part of Sora's memories every time Sora thought.

_"I know you're out there," Sora called in a sing-song voice, grinning from ear to ear. _

_Dyne tried to go back to sleep, in this dream, but could not. He was already on his feet, watching this strange, hazy sequence take place. Everything was so much brighter, the air so much foggier, everything was echoed and in slow motion. The dual wielder almost felt sick._

_Four people stood on an islet connected to the Childrens' Island by a rickety old bridge. A paopu tree grew on it, as did several pine trees. Sora was in the middle, blindfolded, his hands waving through the air, smiling sublimely. _

_Two girls were toying with Sora. Kairi stood opposite of Lilka, laughing. Lilka was giggling warmheartedly. Sora and the two girls seemed to be playing some version of Marco Polo, or maybe a simple game of keep-away. It was obvious that Sora was getting dizzier and dizzier as they spun him around. _

_Then it hit the blonde- Sora was trying to chase the two girls. He had to catch one, but both were out of his reach as all time. He had only their giggling to guide him._

_"Awww, no fair! You guys better not be cheating!"_

_"Sooooora!" called Kairi, pushing at the back of Sora's head. The boy whipped around, threw his arms out to get her, but there was only air. Lilka poked him in the back, and Sora tried to catch her then- but met with no success._

_"Okay, now I _know_ you guys are cheating!"_

_"You have to pick one, Sora!" the girls called in unison. Sora's lips turned down into a little pout._

_"But I don't want to pick."_

_"Come on, Sora! Pick me!"_

_"No no, pick me!"_

_"Pick me!"_

_"Me!"_

_Sora's expression began to turn a little scared, and most obviously confused. He began to stumble away from the girls, arms waving before him, away from their bickering in his head. Why were girls so mean to him, anyway? He just wanted to have fun..._

_Dyne took a step forward, eyes going wide. If Sora didn't slow down, he was going to go toppling into the waters._

_"You don't need to pick," called Dyne, wondering how he was going to wake the boy. "You're gonna die, anyway."_

_"I'm gonna-"_

* * *

Dyne shot up from his bed, eyes wide and alert, his expression one of alarm. He threw the blankets off of himself (though with the constant room temperature, blankets weren't necessary) and rushed up the hall. Sora was screaming. 

The dual wielder threw the door to Sora's room wide open.

"HAHAHAHAHA! STOP, PLEASE STOP!" squealed Sora, laughing harder as Lilka tickled him harder. He flailed, but Lilka kept the boy under wraps, and when he finally cried 'mercy', she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, smiling broadly.

Sora, gasping for breath, launched his most furious pout in Lilka's direction. He threw the blankets over his head in a childish display of displeasure, and glared.

"Oh, come on. I couldn't help it."

"Sure you couldn't," responded Sora. "Tickling isn't fair."

"You look so cute when you're pouting," giggled Lilka.

"I'm not cute."

"Oh yes, you are. Absolutely adorable," Lilka reinforced, planting herself on the bed right next to Sora.

No sound from the boy in the sheets.

"Oh, come on. If it helps... I'm ticklish, too."

There was silence, again, from Sora. Lilka frowned, and shook her head, hopping up off of the bed.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave you alone, then. Get some rest," said the girl, leaving the room.

Sora loosened his grip on the covers. In his guise of anger and displeasure with Lilka's unfair perspective on the subject of tickling, he was shivering inside. Goosebumps had ran all along his body when the brown-haired young woman had announced that Sora was... cute. To her, at least.

Dyne sauntered into the room, looking back at the doorway. The blonde's gaze then turned to Sora.

"Did she kiss you again?" asked Dyne offhandedly, intending to get Sora's blood boiling. It worked.

"No! Why are you asking, anyway?" responded the Keybearer, tossing the blankets off and moving toward the one large window in the room, the one that allowed him a few of Elysium and the dark sea they were destined to cross.

"I guess that's a yes, then."

"She did **not**!" exclaimed Sora in response, yelling over his shoulder and, moodily, staring back out the window. He saw his own reflection, looking at it from several angles, frowning. He wasn't seeing this cuteness Lilka spoke of.

Dyne took a breath, and moved across the room, leaning against the wall. He looked at Sora from the side. The Keyblade Master said nothing.

"Sora, if you could..."

The blonde took a deep breath, closing his eyes, gaining control of himself. It was a very heavy question he was about to ask, but he had been wondering since the destruction of Halloween Town.

"If you could go back, so that you never got the keyblade... would you?"

Sora stood still for a moment, then pulled away from the window. The Keybearer sighed, shook his head, and looked to Dyne. He was struck, again, by how strange it was to be, essentially, looking at himself. Answering questions that his look-alike had asked.

"Sometimes I think I would. But, then I figure, if I didn't do it... who would?"

"Riku. Or King Mickey. They have keyblades. They... they'd do it," said Dyne, a little more enthusiastically than he had intended. "Sora, why don't we stay here? You, me, and... Lilka. There's... there's a library here, and a restaurant and this house, and there's no Heartless. We'll only need to worry about ourselves! And... and there's this observatory I haven't even checked out yet, and-"

Sora placed a hand on Dyne's shoulder, turning to face him. He spoke in a calm and even tone, beginning to see something about Dyne, about his motivations. About how he really felt.

"There's another reason why I don't regret having the Keyblade. If none of this had happened, I'd have never met so many great people. I met Donald and Goofy, Leon and Yuffie and Tarzan and Ariel and King Mickey-" he spoke, finally interrupting himself with a lopsided grin. "You know, I dreamed all my life of having a great adventure, and now I'm living it. I got to see other worlds. What would I have to show for myself if I'd have stayed on the Islands? I'd have just been plain old Sora. Besides, I feel as if... as if I've lived my life. I've done everything I always wanted to do. I can't really ask for more."

An expression that Sora had never seen before on anybody's face came over Dyne. It was a mix of awe, of frustration, of surprise, of alarm. How could Sora not want to stay? How could he have come up with such a strong response? He knew Sora's nature- it was to protect. He met all those people, and now he knew he had to protect them. It must have torn the Keybearer up inside to know that while he was in Memoria, the worlds outside were being destroyed systematically by the Darkness, and the only way to counteract it would be to find the Door.

Dyne bit at the bottom of his lip, then reached out and grabbed a hold of Sora's hoodie. With one powerful swing, he hurled Sora into the bathroom (Sora was lucky enough to have his own), pulled the door shut, and held the doorknob tightly. Sora wouldn't be able to turn it easily.

Sora, stunned, looked at the door. There was no window out of the bathroom, so his only choice was the door Dyne had blocked.

"What are you doing, Dyne!"

Lilka heard Sora's cries, as did Riku, and the both of them immediately made their way upstairs to Sora's room.

"Sora... I'm... I've taken you as far as I can, okay?" said Dyne, facing the door, as if he could see through it to the black-clad Keyblade Master.

"What are you talking about! Don't make me blast this door down. This is dumb, Dyne, just let me out!"

Dyne's hands were shaking terribly.

"Sorry..."

The blonde whipped around and darted toward the exit of the room, but Lilka was then in his way, blocking the doorway. Dyne summoned the Oblivion, and placed it at Lilka's neck.

"...w-wha? What're you-"

"Move it!"

"DY-" called Sora, opening the bathroom door and freezing at what he saw. Dyne holding Lilka at swordpoint. He gritted his teeth. "Stop it! Don't hurt her!"

Riku simply stood in the hall, unsure of what to do. He would let things take their course until they got out of hand; this was Sora's matter, and anything he did may set the blonde-haired kid off..

Dyne rolled his eyes at Sora's request, and slashed at the air, turning and pointing the blade at Sora's face. Dyne's eyes, Sora's eyes, were narrowed on the Keyblade Master.

"Why would I do a thing like that? Just... don't follow me!"

"If that's what you want," muttered Sora, glaring.

"I don't have to want a lot of things. But that doesn't mean I have to carry them," spoke Dyne quietly, looking at the Oblivion in his hand.

"What's... going on?" asked Lilka timidly, backing off from the doorway.

"Blondie's leaving us. Apparently, we're not good enough for him anymore," spoke Sora to Lilka, before training his eyes on the dual wielder. "Whoever it is you're _really_ working for- Caejan, Ansem, whatever- they're real jerks."

"I'm working for **you**!" cried Dyne, teeth clenched. Then, in shock, his anger was replaced by surprise. He had made a revelation. A frightening one.

"With friends like you, who needs enemies?" said Sora, under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief at Dyne's nerve.

"And that's why I'm going," responded Dyne, wondering why Sora still bothered to care.

Sora only stared at Dyne, and then turned to face the window, sighing. The blonde's breath began to come faster and faster. His fury, his frustration, his confusion, was all about to erupt as he would reveal to Sora what his revelation had revealed.

"What do you **want** from me! You've already taken **everything** from me!" exclaimed the dual wielder, launching himself at Sora, bringing the black keyblade over his head in an attempt to cut into Sora's back, to make him feel pain.

The Keybearer turned in time to realize what was happening, and rolled out of the way. The Oblivion came crashing down into the window, shattering it, spraying glass into the grassy ground below. Dyne was far from finished, but his rage would be taken out on inanimate objects in the room.

"My **town**!"

Dyne smashed a vase and the small table it sat on.

"My **friends**!"

Dyne smashed the Oblivion into a picture depicting a sunset beach, bellowing.

"My... my **FREEDOM**!"

Dyne smashed Sora's nightstand, stumbling back, his breath coming in sharp wheezes. He turned to Sora, turning the Oblivion upside-down in his hand, and launched the keyblade as if it were a spear in Lilka's direction. Sora yanked her out of the way, and the end of the keyblade sank into the wall.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dyne! Just calm down and talk to me, please!" called Sora, his eyes as big as saucers. Dyne was going insane.

The blonde did not respond, instead breaking into a weeping fit. Between sobs, the boy coughed and hacked, a hand at his chest. Blood was coming up with each cough.

Sora did not run to his side immediately, unsure if the blonde was faking it or not. Finally, uttering the boy's name, Sora creeped his way to Dyne, dropping to a knee in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Dyne, please... tell me what's wrong. I don't know about anything you're talking about. I'm sorry if I did something to hurt you, but I... can't help you unless I know what I did."

"Sora," said Dyne, finally, after getting a hold of himself and the coughing under control. He looked to the Keybearer with bloodshot eyes. "I'm here to protect you. But I can't. I'm too weak... too weak..."

Sora frowned. It was Dyne duty to protect him? Protect him from what? He half-stepped, still on a knee, to Dyne's side, eyes full of concern and not a little disbelief.

"Then stop," Sora said quietly. "Just stop. You never had to do anything for me. That's not what I want. I just want to be your friend, that's all I wanted."

"It's not that easy," responded the blonde, looking as his own coughed-up blood on the floor. He wasn't fully healed. He knew he was being foolish, knew that he didn't want to face his destiny, that he was childishly taking it out on the only person he knew to blame.

"Then we'll find a way," responded Sora. He still did not understand Dyne, but knew that Dyne was a part of him, like the Id was to Asher.

"Sora... I'm so sorry..."

With all the graciousness Sora's massive heart was capable of, he responded.

"It's alright."

* * *

Asher was waiting for them at the docks. He felt compelled to run back to the house, to make sure everything was okay there- but he already knew. He knew what was happening. He knew Sora's thoughts. In some faint, subliminal way, he knew Dyne's thoughts, as well. He was concerned, but understood that everything was going to turn out okay. 

The black-haired boy stood and stepped to the boat he had procured, got down into it, and began to examine it for faults. It was not a large boat; it was barely enough to fit the five of them. The sail in the middle was a little worn, but there were no holes in it. Asher was familiar with the functions of and how to work with a boat. One of the jobs he had been forced to do in his youth was pilot a boat from floating garbage heap to floating garbage heap to search for valuable pieces of scrap as well as food.

He preferred to be alone, at least right then. He had had a great deal to think about, and a lot to be afraid of.

_(take this burden-)_

Asher pulled his knees up against his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, placing his chin on his knees. He was afraid. It was his nature, but not his will, to hurt Sora. That was the decision he made.

_(one friend without a price)_

He smiled despite the brooding thoughts. What would happen to him, after it was all said and done? Would he be able to help Sora, in the end? Or... would his decision destroy him?

"Asher, you got a boat!"

The ebon-haired Unknown got to his feet, smiling broadly. At least Sora appreciated him. The Keybearer approached, grinning, stopping finally at the side of the dock, looking over the boat.

"Are you guys ready to go?" asked Asher, but he already knew. It was time to face their destiny.

"Yeah. Riku and Lilka and Dyne just needed to get a couple things together, they'll be here soon."

"Sora, I need to ask you a question."

"What's that?"

"Are you afraid?" questioned Asher, moving out of the boat to sit beside Sora, who was sitting on the dock, his feet dangling over the boat.

Sora was quiet for a little while. He glanced at the sea they were to cross. Black clouds hovered ominously right above the sea. It was as if Elysium was perfectly isolated from everything else.

"Yeah, I'm afraid. I don't know what the Fates are going to say, or if they'll even let me through or not. I don't know if my friends outside of Memoria are okay. I can feel them, in my heart, but... I don't know. And..."

"And what?"

"I haven't told anybody, but... when I channeled the Light in the Fortress, I was more scared than I ever had been. Deep down inside, I mean."

"Why?"

"The Light hurt. It burned. I felt myself getting lost in it, so that I was going to forget who I was in exchange for remembering everything else. It felt like... like I wasn't Sora anymore."

Both Sora and Asher sat without saying any more for a long while. Asher wasn't sure if he could say anything to comfort Sora, and Sora wasn't sure if he had anything more to say. The raincoated young man with the crystal samurai sword over his back knew where Sora's real turmoil came from.

The Light he had served so faithfully, the Light he fought for, had almost destroyed him. It threatened to rob him of who he was, no different than the Darkness would. Sora was beginning to question whether the Light was much better than the Darkness in that sense. After all, the people of Elysium lived in the Light constantly, and they were all zombies. They lived eternally, in paradise, but could not think for themselves, suspended in memory forever.

"Sora...?"

"Yeah, Asher?"

"When I was on the Destiny Islands, I talked to Kairi. It was hard to say anything to her... she was so... _afraid_ of me," said Asher, frowning. Afraid wasn't quite the word for it. Terrified was a little more accurate. "She gave me this, to give to you."

Asher dug into his raincoat for a moment and withdrew a small, folded up piece of paper and handed it to Sora. The Keybearer looked completely shocked. Sora took the piece of paper as if it were the greatest gift he had ever been given, and unfolded it.

_I love you. I'm still waiting._

"I couldn't bring her with me. Not with Nemesis and Memoria ahead of me. But she's safe, Sora, and she's still waiting for you. She knows what your duty is. She's waiting."

Sora nearly began to hyperventilate. Asher reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, then retracted it, knowing what would happen.

"What are you two doing out here?" smiled Lilka, her light footsteps carrying her along the dock to where both Sora and Asher sat, and Sora froze. Asher hopped into the boat, and proceeded to deal with the ropes nonchalantly. He wanted to get moving.

"Uhhh... I'm just... waiting for Asher to finish getting the boat ready. Uh, where's Dyne and, um, Riku?"

"Why are you so nervous, Sora?" said Lilka, squatting down next to Sora, eyes concerned. The Crest Sorceress began to get a churning feeling in her stomach. It wasn't just butterflies, it was a hurricane. She frowned. "Whatcha got there in your hand?"

Sora felt powerfully compelled to show her the paper, but instead simply stammered, his mind reeling. He liked Lilka; that was for certain. She had even... _replaced_ Kairi somehow in Memoria, held strong through all of this, kept Caejan from killing the Keyblade Master in his sleep. He didn't know if she was infatuated with him, and so it might injure her to show her the paper. Then again, it would be presumptuous to assume that she liked him, that he would hurt her feelings by showing her the paper and telling her that somebody who loved him was waiting for him back home.

Fortunately for Sora, he did not have to make the decision. Asher, who had been working the ropes on the boat, froze. His gaze traveled beyond Sora. He saw Riku and Dyne, coming over the hill and approaching, but there was a much more imminent threat closer by. Sora took this moment to very hastily stuff the paper into one of his red pouches while Lilka wasn't looking, and then turned to see.

A silver mane flowed backward from this man's bronze-tanned skin, combed into three horn-like formations at the top of his head, the rest trailing down to his mid-back. Twin, eerie orange oculars, fire eyes, were locked on Sora. White tunic beneath a long overcoat. Black boots. White gloves.

It was Ansem.

Sora reacted instantly. The boy was at his feet in a blur, both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper in his hands. Quickly placing himself between Ansem and his friends, his lips curled back into a snarl.

"You!"

Dyne was fastened in place, though Riku stepped past the silver-maned man, to the docks. Dyne knew something was very wrong, while Sora looked on at this all-too-familiar 'Seeker of Darkness'. Something was missing from his ensemble, however- the Heartless crest.

Ansem, unflinching, folded his arms across his chest, belligerent. That voice, which always boomed with a snobbish superiority that drove Sora up the wall, echoed out from Ansem, but Sora was able to pick something underlying it, something that was not quite the same as it was before their last duel. Sora heard a faint tone of disappointment, humility.

"So here we are. We find ourselves on even ground, at last. You know as much about this place as I do. The both of us are blind fools. But are you so certain you wish to go forward?"

There was an intense suspicion in Sora's eyes, paired with the fading, initial anger. Curiosity was beginning to creep into the Keybearer, but Ansem was a venomous enemy, and Sora had not yet gotten over what he had done. Sora's stance remained threatening.

"This is where you ended up, huh! Here in Memoria, in Elysium, while you sent Riku to Kingdom Hearts! This is too good for you, you bastard!"

"Perhaps you've forgotten who your real enemies are," spoke Ansem, moving past Sora, face still supremely confident. "Our little... quarrel... is petty compared to the real war you're fighting. But you already know that, don't you? The Darkness."

"What about it!"

"A dirty little secret you'd like to sweep under the rug," Ansem punctuated his last statement with a little flicking motion with his wrist. "You would rather stay here and be happy, wouldn't you, while the Darkness swallows the realm you left behind?"

"This is all **your** fault! If you hadn't toyed with people's hearts, none of this would have happened! You changed our lives, you made us into what we are! You turned Riku into an empty **shell**! You destroyed my home, made me leave Kairi all alone, you... you... you made me be-" stammered Sora, blood boiling like liquid fire. It took every ounce of self-control he had to keep from flinging himself from Ansem and beating him senseless.

But Ansem only laughed.

His laughter was deep, and Sora would almost say it was honest. His chuckles became bellows of gut-busting laughter, and as he managed to regained control of himself, he turned to face Sora.

"Maybe I did it. Or maybe it was just Fate guiding my hand while I sent your beloved Kairi to you, would have made Riku the Keyblade Master but instead gave him what he always wanted... to see beyond his tiny prison, as I once had. And you! Didn't you always sit in your little house and dream of grand adventures? You wouldn't have met any of your 'friends' without me. Is that really how you want it to have been?"

Riku stood on the edge of the docks, his back turned to the fire-eyed seeker of Darkness. Ansem glanced to the platinum blonde, smirked, and looked back to Sora.

"It's one thing to dream about it," snarled Sora. "It's another thing to be forced into it! We could have made it on our own. We could have reached other worlds all by ourselves, we never needed you! Everything would have been alright, if you would have just let it be, let things be the way they're supposed to be!"

"...yes. I suppose you're right. You would have been very happy together, drowning out in the vast ocean in your tiny raft."

"Doesn't matter. We'd have been together, but you wouldn't understand that," responded Sora, pivoting and moving onto the boat. Lilka was already sitting there. Dyne and Riku approached.

The blindfolded young man regarded Ansem coldly, silently, and for a long time before he got into the small vessel. Dyne moved past Ansem without saying anything.

"Let's go, Asher," said Sora, and the black-and-red haired boy sliced the ropes with his sword. They weren't coming back.

"I hope we see each other again," called Ansem as their boat floated off. Sora was too far away to do anything except watch as a pair of Shadow-sized creatures came to Ansem's side. They were clearly mechanical creatures, humanoid, hunched over. Each arm terminated into a razor-sharp scythe. In the center of the mechanical horrors were heart-shaped crystals, Darkness swirling within each. "There's so much more I want to show you."


	23. Regret

**

* * *

Chapter 19 - ****Regret

* * *

**

Asher sat in the back of the boat, a hand on the rudder, steering himself and his friends to their destination. He knew where they were going; he was also fully aware of what they were going to go through. Of course, there was no real need to tell them. If he told them what they were going to see, it would be harder for them to come out alive.

The beautiful blue ocean that they had seen in Elysium had metamorphosed into a different creature entirely. From almost the instant they had set sail, the clouds had rolled in, becoming more and more vicious as they drifted further and further along. Asher was not necessarily worried yet, but Lilka very obviously was. She was also very obviously sea-sick.

"I hate boats," moaned the Crest Sorceress, holding her stomach, her eyes closed.

Riku had a hand gripped around the mast of the boat, hoisting himself upright. He smiled slightly.

"Lilka's right. We should swim all the way to... wherever it is Asher's steering us," chuckled the platinum blonde. Dyne did not seem even remotely happy.

"Where _are_ you steering us, Asher?" questioned Sora finally, looking to the back of the boat. Asher the Navigator. The Keybearer frowned, watching his black-and-red-haired friend. There was something exceptionally melancholy about him. "What's wrong?"

The raincoated navigator was staring blankly out the back of the boat, his eyes sad but his face expressionless.

"Asher!"

The wielder of the Heart Key jumped up at having his name called, and looked to Sora.

"Oh. Uh, didn't I tell you already?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Uh, alright. We're going to see the 'Moirae', whatever those are. They're in a dome not too far from here, a dome that floats in the ocean. The Moirae will either lead us to the door or know where the door is, I never got a clear answer on which."

"Well thank you, Asher. I'm glad you have control of the situation," muttered Dyne. "We all feel a lot better now."

"Lay off, Dyne. Asher's doing the best he can," snapped Sora. "Right, Asher?"

No response. Asher had returned to gazing out into the sea.

The Keybearer lifted himself up, carefully, and moved to the back of the boat. He was familiar with what it was like on a boat, so rocking the boat wasn't much of a problem. Sora sat close to Asher, careful not to touch him but letting him know he was there.

"What's wrong?"

Asher was silent for a long moment, and then spoke softly.

"I think I'm going crazy again. Do... you hear that? That man's voice. It sounds like my dad's voice..."

The Keybearer craned his neck, listening closely. The sound of the ocean and the clapping of distant thunder were the only things he heard.

"No, I don't hear any voices."

"He wasn't even my real father... it's kind of pathetic, isn't it? I guess maybe Kydran was the only 'father figure' I had. And then he leaves, and..."

"Where do you think Kydran went?"

"I don't know. He just... left," muttered Asher. Sora felt a turning in his stomach, and instinct told him not to make eye contact with his friend- but Asher was his friend. It was torturing Sora that he couldn't help him.

Dyne was smiling, though neither Asher nor Sora had noticed. Riku had begun to say something, though his words were blocked by a sharp glare from Dyne. Riku sensed something in the blonde-haired-kid's aura that rank of danger.

"Would it help if you... shared the memory with me?" asked Sora in a low tone. Asher didn't know if he was quiet because he did not want Dyne to hear or if he was just scared. The Heart Key wielder was silent, but Sora could tell he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"No," responded Asher shakily. "I wouldn't wish that memory on my worst enemy, and I certainly wouldn't give it to you. I could never do that."

_(Because then, Dyne would be right, wouldn't he?)_

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just... be right where you are. It's good just to know you're there."

Sora nodded slowly, then sighed. There were few things as chafing to him as not being able to help a friend in need.

Lilka hung over the side of the boat.

"You gonna be okay?" asked the blindfolded unknown. "That's pretty unbecoming of a powerful Crest Sorceress."

"I_ think_ I'm okay," moaned the girl, lifting herself back into the boat. "And stop laughing, Dyne."

"I'm just glad you didn't fall in," chuckled the blonde haired kid. It wasn't exactly laughter, but Dyne _did_ think Lilka's plight was pretty funny.

"I see it," spoke Asher, interrupting Lilka as she made to retaliate. "The dome is up ahead."

It was not a huge building, but it wasn't hard for the dome of the Moirae to grab attention. It rose about twenty feet out of the water, its hull gleaming a fiery red. Pure sunlight shone straight down on its flaming orichalcum surface, untouched by the raging waters around it. Immense waves crashed down toward it, but were held at bay by some sort of columnar force field. It was as if the very light of Memoria's sun kept it safe from the elements.

Asher got to his feet, as did everybody else. Dyne, Sora, and Lilka each stared at the dome in awe, Riku looking in that direction as well, hoping to see _something_. Asher, however, was looking at the rudder, though his neck was craned as though he were listening for some distant noise. An expression of shock came over his face as he looked into the water, and he went limp. The others only had time to hear him splash face-first into the water.

Sora whipped around, his eyes wide as he caught sight of the misty aftermath. He rushed immediately to the back of the boat, screaming Asher's name, his eyes wide.

"ASHER!" Sora called again, then looked back at the others.

"Oh, no!" gasped Lilka, her eyes falling on Sora. "Sora, don't!"

"I'm going after him," stated the Keybearer, stepping lightly onto the handle of the rudder and looking into the water. "I can't..."

"Can't what?" snorted Dyne. "Leave him alone? You'd be better off."

Sora only stared into the water, entranced by it. Mesmerized. He leaned a little further forward to look into the surface of the raging ocean, through it.

The Sea of Faces roiled and churned, growing more violent with each passing moment. Gargantuan waves were already rising and coming their way. One such wave rolled into the boat, over it, bore down on it. When Riku, Lilka, and Dyne realized they were still on the boat, they could all see that Sora was not. There was one more wave, what could only be considered a tidal wave, towering high above the three heroes.

"Our boat isn't going to survive that," Lilka shouted over the din of the ocean. "There's no way! I'm getting off this boat!"

Before either Dyne or Riku could protest, she was already overboard. Riku was immediately after her, not a second behind.

The blonde-haired unknown looked straight up at the colossal wave above his head. Dyne then groaned and leapt off of the boat.

* * *

Sora kicked his legs out, arms scooping to his sides. He slid through the darkness, propelling himself along as he had seen Ariel do. His eyes were open, and he peered into the depths, looking for his friend. He couldn't see Asher, but he would die trying to save him. There was something in the back of his mind, however, something that wouldn't let him alone, wouldn't let him fully focus on the rescue. 

Kairi's face.

It wasn't only Kairi's face he was seeing; every now and then, a face would match up with a voice, faces and voices he had never seen but felt somehow connected to. They came in blurs, and while his eyes were seeing water, his mind was seeing faces.

(_A Sea of Faces._)

Asher's voice scintillated into his mind, more of a tingling than a definite voice. Sora was beginning to respond somehow when he heard only a cry, the sound of a sob, and then nothing but for the voices already getting louder in his head.

_You promised, Sora_.

Sora stopped swimming and righted himself in the water. Releasing a small bubble of air, knowing he would have to come up to take a breath soon, he made a few more looks around. His head turned left, then right. When he looked ahead once more, there she was. Kairi stood before him.

The girl was 'suspended' in front of him, but he was (strangely enough) feeling ground solidify beneath his feet. Everything was black and blue about him, and it was only he and a strangely radiant, strangely injured-looking Kairi.

_You broke me._

His love looked at him with eyes that made his heart ache because, deep inside, he felt he had done something to her. He had let Lilka replace her, even if it was only an illusion, even if Kairi was still at home alive and well and thinking that her Sora would come home to her one day. Because he had promised that he would.

Sora took a step forward, extended his hand to her, obeying the overwhelming urge to feel her, to know her to be real because he wanted to feel like he was home again. Kairi pulled away from him, stepped back, and glared at him.

_You betrayed me, Sora_, she seemed to say. _You forgot about me and you're not going to keep your promise, either!_

"No," Sora spoke, but his mouth filled with salt water. He struggled, flailed in the water, expelled his air. He struggled upward, fought to keep the panic down. He realized where he was, looked up at the surface of the water. He was so far down, so out of breath. He had betrayed Kairi, he had let all those people down by letting the Darkness swallow the worlds he let behind. Maybe he didn't even deserve to breathe anymore...

* * *

Lilka swam upward at the surface, struggled to keep the images of her sister out of her mind. She watched the model Crest Sorceress walk out the door, the last time Lilka would ever lay eyes on her again. Wasn't there something she could have said? Something she could have _done_? 

Somehow, what was up became down and what was down became up. The young Crest Sorceress couldn't tell if she was swimming toward the surface or only going deeper, but she didn't care, either. Anything to get away from the guilt...

* * *

_Am I really... that far out of line?_

Dyne was suspended in the depths of the sea, his eyes shut as he struggled against himself. The dark coat he wore curled about him, his hair floated freely in the dark waters. What he was not physically seeing he was still forcing himself to deal with.

_I have to protect Sora..._

His brow furrowed. He released a little air from his lungs. The air bubble floated upward. Like Sora, he knew perfectly well how to swim. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he could guess.

_Why? Why make yourself his slave? He said he doesn't need you._

The dual wielder felt himself sinking downward as this terrible half-truth bore into him. He knew what the connection between himself and Sora was; he even knew what the connection was between Sora and Asher. He had no envy for Asher's connection with Sora in any way except one- that Asher had been a separate entity long before he had ever even heard Sora's name. He had experienced a real birth. Dyne had never been born, was only separated from a whole he knew he would always be tied to, and thus he would never be truly his own.

_And if he doesn't need you..._

And what would happen if he were to rejoin with Sora? If Sora, being only Heart, were to rejoin with Body, what would happen to his own consciousness? His own heart? Was there room enough in Sora's complete form for both of them or would he simply... cease to exist?

_It..._

Dyne's eyes opened. Oddly enough, his lips tugged up into a small smile.

_...it doesn't matter._

He came, then, to realize something. Something he had ignored, the little piece that made it all bearable and kept him from going out of control, that kept him from becoming a slave to the Darkness and having only memories he would want forgotten...

_We're connected._

He existed to protect Sora. Protect him in any way necessary. He and Sora and Asher were all connected and until that moment, he had not consciously realized the primal reason Sora was so important. If Sora stopped existing, Dyne and Asher would stop existing. There was so much more, but ultimately it came down to that.

_Maybe that's all the reason I need..._

Dyne felt his body being tugged upward.

_If the Light ceases to exist, we all cease to exist... Sora is going to keep that from happening. _

He began to move faster and faster toward the surface.

_I'll protect him at all costs... even if it means I have to stop existing._

* * *

Sora sank downward, further and further into the depths. He let himself fall, eyes shut, and he did this because it was so much easier to just give up and let go of it all than it was to keep fighting against what seemed so far away, always so far out of his reach... 

He was falling down head-first and didn't care whether or not he hit the sea floor at a million miles an hour. Maybe then it would be over with, maybe then they could go find another Keyblade Master, somebody who was up to it, somebody who wasn't worthless...

The Keyblade Master opened his eyes and looked down, which would be toward the surface of the ocean now. There was an eerie glow about everything, though he couldn't see the surface. He was dizzy, knowing he was dangerously close to passing out, but something caught his eye.

A corner of a white piece of paper stuck out of the side of his pouch.

With a dulled sense of curiosity, he pulled it out of the pouch, opened it, and his eyes trailed across the words.

_I love you. I'm still waiting._

In the last moment of nauseating vertigo, as he let go of the paper and watched as it became only a blur, he felt himself jogged and yanked, hard, as if there were some sort of wire attached to his spine with a torpedo attached to it. Then the Keyblade Master passed out.


	24. Moirae

**

* * *

Chapter 20 - ****Moirae

* * *

**

The dome of the Moirae was not actually a free-floating building in the middle of the sea. It was a tower of sorts, whose base lay an unfathomable distance from the sea's surface, at the very bottom. This tower anchored a large platform into place, and upon the platform the dome sat. The platform itself was suspended above the water, but there was a set of stairs that led down to a smaller platform which was slanted so as to enter the water. It was here that a person lost in the Sea would wash up, if said person managed to survive the waters.

There were three individuals upon this small platform. Two of these bore long black hooded raincoats, and one of these two was slapping the other (who was on hands and knees, fighting for air) on the back. The other, a Crest Sorceress, sat not far from the two unknowns, her legs curled up against her chest, her eyes staring out at the furious waters.

Dyne administered another emphatic slap on the back.

"You alright, Riku?" asked the blonde haired kid, and the blindfolded young man gave a weak nod.

"A little wet. Touched by a Steward fish, but otherwise okay," was the response, and this was punctuated by a gagging cough.

"A what?"

"...a Steward fish."

Dyne, frowning, lifted himself to his feet and folded his arms. There was a mild look of concern in his eyes, but as he lifted his eyes out to the waters, the expression of worry become much more apparent.

"You don't... you don't think they drowned, do you?" spoke Lilka after a short while. "I'm getting sick of thinking about it, so I'm just going to ask."

"Sora and Asher?" queried Riku, before going into a short hacking fit. "Nope. Sora's too strong to drown out there, and Asher... I get the feeling that as long as Sora's around, we'll have Asher around, too."

The blindfolded unknown got to his feet and took a deep breath.

"I'm not so sure, Riku," said Dyne, standing vigilant. "I can sense Sora's getting near, but I can't sense Asher anywhere."

"There!" called Lilka, hopping up from her spot on the staircase to the edge of the platform. "Something's coming!"

Slowly, Sora's form rose to the surface. The water carried the Keyblade Master's unconscious form to the edge of the platform, and all three of the other survivors rushed to pull him out of the sea and onto the platform. Lilka's eyes were rife with worry. Riku, sensing her fear, glanced at her.

"Lilka, don't worry. He's not dead. In fact, I doubt he's taken in any water at all... he's only a heart-form. He can't die until he lets himself die."

"What...?"

"It's a long story, I'll explain it later, but calm down. We just need to be patient. He'll wake up."

It wasn't too long before the soaking-wet Keyblade Master opened his eyes. He rolled onto his side, nauseated, but the physical pain was dwarfed by the immense relief he felt in his mind. He may have been fooled by Memoria, but he knew who his love belonged to, and who waited for him. Throughout all this, he still had that one promise to keep.

"Sora, I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Lilka after the long silence of Sora's recuperation. The brown-headed young man sat up, took a deep breath, and grinned up at Lilka.

"You really think some big puddle can keep me down? No way. I've got promises to keep."

"We'd best get to keeping them, Sora. The more time we spend here, the longer our friends suffer back home," interjected Riku, his brow furrowed. "The Darkness still exists, even if it's not here trying to erase us. I just hope these 'Moirae' will help us."

"Don't worry about it," replied Sora, getting to his feet. "Asher said... Asher. Where's Asher?"

"He hasn't washed up yet," answered Lilka, shaking her head wearily. "We haven't seen him at all."

"No! No..."

Dyne crossed his arms and looked directly at Sora. Sora put his face in his hands.

"You can't sense him, Sora?" asked Dyne. "I can't feel him at all. I don't know if he still lives."

They were quiet. The only sounds were the distant noise of a roiling sea and Sora's muffled breathing. Finally, Sora spoke.

"I... I can only sense his heart. It's weak. He's despairing."

Lilka's eyes began to water.

The Keyblade Master lowered his hands from his face, closing his eyes, extending his thoughts. His form began to glow as he reached out to try to help his friend, who was losing an impossible struggle.

* * *

(I hate him.) 

_Asher was very cold. He wrapped his arms around his legs, placing his head on his knees. His breath was visible. He looked around him. The room was empty. It was his own room. The one window was broken, boarded up. Snow fell softly outside, but he could find no warmth or happiness in the beautiful weather. He felt terrified. He felt hungry. He was freezing. _

(Kydran...)

_His green eyes moved to the doorway, where he thought he had heard something. Deep within him welled a feeling of horror, a feeling that told him not to be where he was because something terrible was going to come through the door._

(_Let him come and get it_.)

_He got to his feet, and asked himself if he was truly himself anymore. No... no, he couldn't be. He was too weak from fear to pick himself up._

(What are you?)

_The man, who always seemed so _(corroded) _furious, cruel, who was his own father and yet his worst enemy, entered the room. Asher could feel his blood boiling, but was paralyzed by fear. He was no longer in control of his own body; he was shouting things at the man now. He couldn't make out the words, but the man was frozen._

(...no...)

_Fury, barely kept under a rein, was all he could read from his father's eyes. There was something different here... there wasn't just the stupid, glazed-over anger there usually was. He saw something in his father's eyes that paralyzed him, and still his body kept shouting._

(...he's going to kill me...)

_Asher reeled back. He couldn't even feel the pain unil it came washing over him in waves of agony. He couldn't see anymore. His father struck him again, in the stomach. The boy doubled over. He felt pressure all around his neck. His father was choking him._

(_Not if you kill him first._)

_The boy felt the wall pound against his back as he retreated against it. The pain came in waves. He hurt all over. Nausea swept over him. Opening his eyes, he was startled by the clarity of everything. He had felt his father's hands clamp around his neck, but the pressure was quickly lifting. Light filled the room._

("Asher...")

_The black-haired boy lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the blazing heart-form. He could almost make out the shape of somebody-_

("Asher, open your eyes!")

_The boy began to hack and cough. It began with a small cough, and escalated to full-scale choking. The hacking became worse. He felt his lungs filling up with something that certainly wasn't air, something that seized his lungs and forced all the air from it.._

("He can't be dead! Asher, wake up!")

_He was... drowning?_

("Help him!")

_He dropped to his knees. His eyes began to glaze over._

("PLEASE!")

_Everything was spinning..._

("Asher...? Wake-")

* * *

The boy with the black-and-red hair turned onto his side, nauseated. He felt his lungs tighten, and he gagged as they fought to expel the water. Riku and Lilka rolled Asher onto his stomach, helped him to brace himself on all fours as he coughed. Sputtering and hacking, and- finally- breathing, he lowered his upper body down and lay there, prone, on the ground, his breath coming in heaves. 

Dyne stood not far from this spectacle, spitting and wiping vigorously at his lips. Lilka glanced to the blonde haired kid and grinned.

"Sora, don't _ever_ ask me for any favors ever again, ever," spat the dual wielder, and Sora would have grinned if he were not so engrossed in the welfare of the Heart Key wielder. The brown-haired boy was crouched beside his revived friend, eyes reflecting his concern.

Sora felt relieved that Asher was breathing again, but in addition to the thought that he wouldn't make it, there was something he had _felt_, maybe not _seen_, but certainly _felt_, when he had reached out to drag Asher from the waters that had scared him. Stung him. Something that threatened to disillusion him entirely, that nearly broke down the basis of his sanity. He was grateful he didn't have to spend any longer in Asher's memories than he had to.

Coming back to some form of normalcy, Asher sat up, still on his knees, and rolled his head back to look upward. He was exhausted. Turning his head to look at Sora, he frowned.

"What just happened, Sora? Where are we?"

"We're there," replied Sora, getting to his feet and folding his arms. "The dome of the Moirae. You almost died. You just... fell into the Sea not long after we set sail, then I went in after you, an then... I don't know."

"A giant wave destroyed our boat," responded the platinum blonde. "We all washed up here."

"So here we are. I guess we couldn't go back, even if we wanted to," said Lilka. The Crest Sorceress edged closer to Riku, who stood above Asher, across from Sora.

"Can we get moving already?" called Dyne from the top of the steps leading from the platform to the dome itself. "He's fine."

Riku helped Asher to his feet. The young man wobbled on his exhausted legs, but managed to stay on his feet. The four of them made their way up the steps to meet Dyne, and then approached the Dome itself.

"I hate this place. If I never see it again, it'll be too soon," commented Lilka.

"If everything goes as planned, none of us will have to. The worlds will be rejoined, and everything will be like it was before the Darkness came," said Sora. "We're so close. I can feel the Light... it's more powerful than I ever thought."

"Good. Then our journey is almost over," replied Riku.

Finishing their climb upon the stairway, the five Light-seekers came before the great dome of the Moirae. The air was distinctly warm and comforting. High above them, the sun broke through the furious storm-clouds, shining down upon the gleaming copper dome. An immense golden archway opened into it, serving as the entrance point. Within, there was only darkness. The Keyblade Master, the Crest Sorceress, the Dual Wielder, the wielder of the Heart Key and the Wielder of Darkness stood before the archway.

For a short time, each of them contemplated their reasons for their journeys in silence. Sora had come to fulfill what he had assumed to be his destiny. Dyne had come to protect Sora. Asher had come for many reasons, and one of them was that he knew that he was, and always would be, tied to Sora's fate. Riku had come to atone for his weakness. Lilka had come because it was here, she hoped, she might be able to find an answer to her question.

Taking a deep breath, Sora took the first steps forward. Each of the others, in turn, moved to follow him into the dome of the Moirae.

* * *

The dome was lit immediately upon their first steps across the threshold. The dome had to be much, much larger than it appeared to be on the outside. Despite the fact that the dome was circular in shape on the outside, Sora and his companions now stood in a long hallway. It had to be at least a mile long. Everything seemed to glow eerily, all things were an alabaster white. The walls stretched upward forever, and the columns that held up no ceiling also upward as high as the light would reveal. Above them was a nearly pitch-black sky. Throughout the entire span of it, perhaps only ten stars shone faintly against the abyssal backdrop. 

Sora looked upward as he pressed on. One of the only remaining stars blinked out suddenly. So few worlds remaining.

"And then what?" Sora spoke aloud, without meaning to. "After all worlds have been consumed, all those hearts absorbed and forgotten... then what?"

"Sora, that's the world without you. A world with no Keyblade Master, and no Keyblades," spoke Riku. "Nothing but Darkness. That's why we have to free the Light."

They walked further.

Nearing the end of the great hall, Asher sped up to walk beside Sora.

"Sora. What if we do finally find the Door?" he asked in a low tone, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"We _will_ find the Door, Asher. We don't have a choice."

"You know what that means, right?"

Sora was quiet.

"You know, don't you?"

"Yeah. I know," said Sora quietly. "But..."

"But, if that's what it takes, right?" responded Asher. "It's alright. I know. I've accepted it, just like you've accepted it. Just..."

Sora glanced at his friend.

"When it starts, I don't think I'll be me anymore. Just... promise me you'll win."

The Keyblade Master nodded.

Sora slowly came to a stop before the end of the hall. His eyes trailed from the base of the enormous mural upward. The wall stretched into the sky forever. Asher stood beside the Keyblade Master. Lilka and Riku came to a stop shortly behind them. Dyne, however, moved a little closer, eyes wide open, totally spellbound.

"Moirae... it's... it's them... it's the Fates!"

* * *

The female figures were immortalized into the gigantic mural. Their forms were carved out of the face of the granite wall itself, assembled in a triangular pattern. Each of them were surrounded by various images and facades of their station. Clotho, the Spinner, in the form of a young girl, weaved the strands of life out of nothingness, positioned in the upper-left side of the triad. Lachesis, the Apportioner, in the form of a woman at the peak of life, positioned at the bottom of the triad, measured out the length of the thread. Atropos, the ender of life, in the form of an old crone, cut the thread with a pair of scissors. 

Dyne was simply stunned by the display of this mural. Perhaps more so than the others, though he couldn't say why.

"This is it. We're looking at the Fates, the ones who shape our destinies," uttered the blonde haired kid.

Riku folded his arms across his chest, while Lilka also looked on. Asher was watching Dyne, curious of his behavior. The boy was usually so nonchalant about everything; why now was he so impressed by a mural?

Sora moved toward the mural. While Dyne hung back, perhaps out of respect for the power of the Moirae, the Keyblade Master stepped right up against the mural, looking it over, examining it. At the base of the mural, below Lachesis's feet, were two keyholes, one of which was surrounded by feathers and ivy, the other by thorned vines and fire.

"This is it? We're supposed to ask a few stone statues about where to find the door?" thought Sora aloud. "If these are really the Fates... then they must know we're here and why."

"Sora, it's not like there's some button you're going to find. 'Press here to activate the Three Fates'. Pretty unlikely," called Riku, whose voice echoed for an unusually long time down the grand hall.

Sora froze, suddenly. He craned his neck as if listening to some distant whisper, some kind of echo, and then pivoted on his feet and made a beeline for his friends. Turning back around, his eyes locked on the mural.

"Cover your eyes!"

The sound was very quiet, but the heat they all felt came instantaneously. The granite right eyelid (the only one visible via the mural) of Clotho began to rise. The Spinner's eye was a globe of pure life energy, of immense heat. As the eye opened, all but Riku looked away, for the eye was like a miniature sun.

As the heat grew more and more powerful, as Sora began to think he was going to cook, Atropos's left eye began to open. A powerful wind erupted in the hallway as the void of Atropos's eye sucked the heat away, ended the life that Clotho created. All five of the adventurers braced themselves, feeling the wretched frigity of Atropos's power take hold over the hallway.

It was as Riku, Dyne, Sora, Lilka, and Asher all began to think that they were going to be annihilated by the power of the first two fates that Lachesis's eyes opened up. Her power, a neutral power, a balancing power, kept the heat of Clotho's life-giving energy and the frigidity of Atropos's life-taking force in check. The light from Clotho's eye lessened to a bearable level, and the temperature returned to normal.

The Fates, awakened, regarded the five before them quietly. Then, all three voices echoed in all five minds.

_We've been expecting you._

"Uh... hello," responded Sora, bowing, not sure what else to do.

_Calm yourselves. You would not be here had we not wished it._

"So, you really are the Fates. Can you help us?" asked the Keyblade Master. The others stood in silence.

_Yes._

"You know where the Door to the Light is!"

_Yes. _

"Will you tell us?"

_As reward for your struggle, we are obligated to answer three questions. Already, you stand at the door to another realm. Beyond us lies a realm without Fate. We hold sway over the realms Darkness, of Balance and over the Kingdom. Our function is to ensure the designation and destiny of each Keyblade Master, who holds the key to the Door. Within the realm beyond us lies the Door, which protects the first Light, the Crystal, the True Memory of all things since the beginning of all things. This is the Heart of Memoria. The Kingdom is only a reflection, the creation of this true Light._

For a long time, Sora and his friends stood quietly, reflecting on words of the Fates.

_Now, you may ask your questions. When you have received your answers, the path will open._

The Keyblade Master turned to look at the others.

"I _know_ you guys all have something to ask them, but they said-"

"They said the realm beyond them was without Fate, meaning that there's no guarantee that everything will be okay," Riku said, finishing Sora's sentence. "Don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll make it."

"That's right. The five of us have made it this far; if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything," Lilka added, nodding.

"We're all prepared to do what it takes, Sora," Dyne said. "I know now that I am."

Sora's eyes drifted to Asher. The young man ran a hand through his black hair, and shrugged.

"There's no choice. Fate can only carry us so far, Sora. I'm ready."

With that, Sora turned back to the mural and closed his eyes.

They stood for a while, thinking. Lilka was the only one out of them that didn't seem to be in deep thought except, perhaps, Asher. After a minute or so, Riku looked to the Crest Sorceress.

"Lilka. Why don't you ask your question? About your sister."

The girl nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. Her eyes moved to his face, and she looked at where his eyes should have been.

"How did you-"

"I spent a lot of time watching over you, in Elysium. We're very close to the Light, so close I could sense a lot of your memories just by the way you resonate with it. You came all this way to find your sister, right?"

The girl nodded, and sighed. She looked to the mural, at the eyes of the Fates that looked over them all. Finally, she shook her head.

"What we're doing is bigger than all of us. Sure, I came to find out about my sister, but I also came to help you guys. This fight between Light and Dark is more important; you guys need to know everything you can. Besides… when Sora opens the Door and everything is okay again, my sister and I will be together again, right? I'm not worried about it. Ask your questions. I don't have one."

"But, Lilka… are you sure?" asked Sora. "You really don't want to ask?"

Lilka, nodding, stepped back. Dyne stepped forward to ask his question.

"Please, tell me... what is the Eight?"

All were able to hear the answer.

_Since the Light was first locked away, since the moment Light was separated from the Darkness, time has been looping back in an eternal cycle. Kingdom Hearts, source of all hearts, first festers with Darkness. The Darkness spreads, reaching out to consume the hearts of all worlds. A Keyblade Master is designated by the Keyblade, and the weapon finds and protects him until he is strong enough. The Keyblade Master, through various trials, reaches the Door to the Light, sacrifices himself to restore the True Memory, and the worlds return as they were, though the Darkness remains. Then the cycle begins anew._

"WHAT!" exclaimed Sora, stunned. "You mean... you mean you already k now what's going to happen!"

The Fates were silent. Riku moved forward.

"I'll ask... Fates, do you mean to say that once we have found the Door that we will only be completing the end of a neverending cycle? That we're just fulfilling our roles?"

_No. There is something different now, something that should not have happened. _

Another long silence punctuated the answer to Riku's question. Sora, now more than ever, felt unsure of what his destiny truly was- if he even had a destiny anymore.

"Alright, Sora. Your turn," said Lilka, nudging him forward. The Keyblade Master walked forth, faced the Fates, and spoke aloud.

"Will I be able to defeat my own shadow?"

Sora received the answer he already knew to be true in his heart.

_The closer you get to the Light, the greater your shadow becomes._

Sora lowered his head, sighed, and looked back at his friends. All but Asher (who only became very pale) gave him a reaffirming nod. The Keyblade Master looked to the Fates and took a deep breath.

"We're ready, Moirae. Let us into the fateless realm."

There was no answer from the three Fates. Instead, all three granite eyelids came down over the glowing eyes of the Moirae, and the mural was simply a mural once again. Sora called the Oblivion and Oathkeeper into existence, and they came to him, forming slowly in each of his hands. Sora looked over the both of them, and stood in silence while he regarded the Oathkeeper and remembered his promise. Nodding, he braced himself and pointed the two keys at the pair of keyholes at the base of the mural.

Twin beams of energy fired from the ends of each keyblade, one of pure Light and the other of blackest Darkness. They weaved and danced about each other, intertwining and splitting only to enter their respective keyholes. The edges of the keyholes shined azure for a moment. The flames about the dark keyhole leapt to life, the thorned vines whipping at the air. On the other keyhole, the ivory feathers floated softly about it, the ivy creeping outward to spread over the entire mural.

The ground began to shake. The columns began to crumble. One of them toppled at the entrance, knocking over another. They crashed to the ground, sealing off the entrance. The granite mural cracked as the thorny vines and the tendrils of ivy tore it apart. Soon it appeared as broken glass would, and all at once the mural broke and fell away, all pieces of it sucked into the void beyond Memoria.

"Sora! Catch!" cried Riku as the vortex between realms washed over them. From the platinum blonde's gloved hand flew a small, golden keychain. The Inverse Key. Sora caught it as he was lifted off of his feet and pulled into the void.


	25. Fateless

Here it is, the last chapter. From here on I'll bew writing up and posting some more Lost Fragments and beginning work on Breaking Eight and Genetermina. Enjoy.

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* * *

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**Chapter 21** - **Fateless

* * *

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Sora opened his eyes.

Spread out before him was a vast nothingness. He was at some point, somewhere, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was nowhere at all. He took a step forward, feeling solidity beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw that there was a strange glow outlining his feet, a soft light shining from contact.

The young man looked for his friends. He looked to his left, to his right, and behind him. They were nowhere to be found. He wanted to shout out loud, to call for them, but was afraid, for one icy moment, that nobody would respond at all. He took a few more steps forward, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted Riku's name. He shouted Dyne's name. He shouted Asher's name, cried out Lilka's name.

Sora stood frozen for a long while, paralyzed by the thought that his friends would not be there with him, that he had made some grave mistake in coming, that the Door was not here and he would be trapped in an oubliette of nothingness forever. He checked himself, to make sure he wasn't injured somehow, or dead. Frowning, he looked in his right hand, not realizing he had been holding something in it. A golden keychain lay in it. The Inverse Key.

Then he felt it. He felt his stomach rise up into his throat, felt the blood rush to his head, felt the solidity beneath him give way. He felt himself fall, began to dive headfirst into the nothing.

He fell forever. He fell and fell and fell and, when he thought that the fall would really last forever, he broke through. The barrier slowed him; he heard the sound of breaking glass. Then he saw, far below, a large platform. It was immense; it had to be as long across as the Hallway he had just been sucked out of. He twisted in midair, seeing the ground approach at lightning speed, and, just before impact-

He stopped.

Sora was suspended in midair, not three feet above the ground, and was set down slowly by some invisible force. With both feet on the ground, Sora examined his surroundings. The circular platform, in the center of which he landed, was made of bricks. There were no intricate patterns upon this platform; there were only interlacing bricks, alternating between a bright, glowing blue and black. Sora turned, looking for some for of direction in which to go. Turning back around, he was surprised to find Dyne standing before him.

"Dyne! Have you seen any of the others?" he asked, moving to join the blonde haired kid. Dyne shook his head.

"No one... and I'm not seeing any Door."

"Well... let's just... go, then. Somewhere. The Door's got to be around here," reasoned Sora, who then started walking.

Almost as if on cue, directly ahead of him, he saw a soft glow flare up and die away. Another one directly above it, and another; in the wake of the glows, there was a single small metal plate hovering in midair. They formed a staircase that weaved and zigzagged about, climbing higher and higher. Sora couldn't make out where they lead.

"How about we go that way?" grinned the dual wielder, and Sora laughed.

"Maybe we'll find the others past those stairs. Let's mosey."

"...mosey?" came Asher's voice from behind the other two. "Tell me you didn't get that from Leon."

Sora whipped around and was shocked to find the black-haired young man standing there with his arms folded. Asher didn't look happy or glad to see them, but there was a dim amusement in his expression. It seemed to Sora that he had made a weak attempt at lightening the situation.

"Asher... have you seen Riku or Lilka?"

Asher shook his head.

"They won't be coming. This last step is for you, Sora, and no one else."

"But-"

"Don't worry about them. They'll surface somewhere out there..."

"Out where?"

"In the Kingdom, of course," replied Asher, waving his hand around them. "Except... all the lights have gone out. We're in some kind of space, not just a dark room, that's reflecting the Kingdom. We're almost at the core of everything; we're looking from the inside out. There's nothing left out there."

"How do you know that?"

"Remember, in Castle Oblivion? Caejan told me a lot of things, not just about Memoria, but the realm that lay beyond it."

"You mean you've known this whole time what was going to happen?" Dyne asked, folding his arms. "Maybe this place isn't as fateless as we think it is."

"No. Caejan only told me about the cycle, the Eight. I didn't believe him, but what the Fates said solidifies it. Sora, you already learned what you have to do to release the Light. You learned in the Fortress of Mirrors. You can't control the Light."

Sora was silent for a long time. Every now and then he would steal a glance at the pathway to the Door, and then look back to Asher. Both Dyne and Asher gave the Keyblade Master time to think.

"I'm sure you both know, Dyne especially, that I won't let you go through with it," stated Asher, finally breaking the silence. "You know what'll happen if you open that door."

"Are you threatening us?" Dyne said, moving himself between Asher and Sora. "For one thing, you can't stop the both of us. And another thing... why? Don't you want the worlds to be restored? For everything to be as it was?"

"No! I don't! For everything to be like it was? You think I want to go back to my wretched home, be abandoned again, put myself through hell again? No!" exclaimed Asher, startling Sora out of his reverie. "Sora's going to have to die to make everything 'right' again? The Darkness is just going to rise again, and the same thing will happen over and over and over again. The Fates told you already, something that shouldn't have happened has happened, which means there's a chance that we can change things. I'm not letting you open that Door. And-"

Dyne interrupted Asher by calling the Oblivion and Oathkeeper to him, then stepped menacingly towards him.

"All of our friends are gone, all of the worlds have been destroyed. It's too late, we don't have a choice!" shouted Dyne, stopping within engagement distance of the black-haired boy. He then looked over his shoulder, at Sora. "Sora, go to the Door. Do what you were meant to do, I'll keep him tied up."

"Don't, Sora. There's got to be another way."

The Keyblade Master eyed his two friends, the two parts of himself, and... turned toward the path leading to the Door. He gained speed; soon, he was at a full-out sprint for the door.

"NO!" cried Asher, and the Heart Key was instantly in his hand. Dyne rammed into him with his shoulder, knocking the Heart Key wielder back. Asher gained his footing and reached up to draw his crystal sword, only to find that it wasn't there anymore.

Dyne sank into a purely defensive position. He was not going to hurt the other boy if he didn't have to; no, he only had to buy enough time for Sora to get to the Door. Asher growled and darted forward, weapon prepared to strike.

Sora could hear their fighting, more intense than he could imagine, echo behind him. His sneaker landed on the first small platform, he carried himself onto the next, on and on.

Asher was in the middle of an offensive assault the likes of which Dyne had not thought him capable of doing. With the speed and accuracy of Asher's assault (he had no idea when Asher had gotten so good), it required both his keyblades just to keep from being impaled. Slowly, Asher was forcing Dyne back, overpowering him with the Heart Key alone.

Sora could see the door, now. He was so close-

Finally, Asher had outsmarted Sora's guardian. He paused in his assault, sank back and let Dyne come to him. The dual wielder did exactly as expected; he retaliated with his own slash with the Oathkeeper to put Asher on the defensive. Immediately, however, Asher slipped inside the range of the Oathkeeper, deflecting the keyblade at the hilt with the hilt of the Heart Key. Dyne froze; there was nothing he could do.

Asher drove the tip of the Heart Key into Dyne's chest, slipping to the side and kicking Dyne's ankles out from under him. Withdrawing the Heart Key immediately, knowing that Dyne would only be stunned momentarily, he charged after Sora, who skidded to a stop before the door.

The Door to the Light itself reminded him of the door to Kingdom Hearts, at least in its size. Two keyholes were etched into the door, at eye level with Sora. Despite the size of the Door, it seemed as though it had been made for him to pass through. Sora called the Kingdom Key, and it appeared in his right hand. He called the Inverse Key, and it too materialized, appearing in his left hand.

Asher slowed in his race to catch up with Sora, then finally came to a walking halt. He looked on as Sora drove the two keyblades into the keyholes and turned them. Asher's heart sank, and he began to back away.

Sora turned to look back down at the platform, where Asher stood and Dyne was fighting to get to his feet. The black-haired boy lowered his head.

"Sora," Asher spoke softly, and while Sora could not hear him with his ears, he could hear Asher in his heart. "I'm so sorry. I..."

Tendrils of pure Darkness crept along the outside edges of the platform, whipping at the air, reaching toward Asher's robed form.

_I know, Asher._

Asher looked up at Sora as the tentacles wrapped themselves about his feet, locking him to the ground. More tendrils sank down from the inky abyss above them, and a dark glow lit the platform. Sora's words echoed within him, and he realized now that, between them, speaking was not necessary. Words were not even necessary, their connection had become so strong.

_You are my shadow._

The Door burst open, and Light streamed forth. Sora was enveloped in it. Where Asher stood, Sora blocked the Light, and the Darkness consumed him. Engulfed in the dark energies, he appeared as a cocoon, shrouded in black. The haze fell away, and in Asher's place, the Darkheart Crystal hovered above the platform, the eye within it glaring up at Sora.

Sora was closest to the Light, and thus his shadow was greatest of all.

Nemesis rose into the air, already creating a protective skeletal ribcage out of crystallized Darkness. A skull formed, and two skeletal arms. A mass of tentacles, all originating from the Crystal itself, held the fifty-foot-tall Heartless up. The Darkheart Crystal carried itself to the edge of the platform and faced Sora.

Dyne had willed himself back together, and now struggled to his feet, watching as the Darkheart Crystal prepared itself for battle with the Keyblade Master. The blonde haired kid's eyes were locked on Sora, who now began to lift himself into the air. Motes of fairy dust trailed from his feet as he began to fly.

He launched himself at the Darkheart Crystal.

* * *

Sora, keyblades raised, rocketed toward the monster that had consumed his friends, swallowed worlds, the beast that was the greatest incarnation of Darkness itself. He bellowed his fury, felt the Light flow through him, empowering him.

He was swatted aside like a rag doll by the Crystal's skeletal hand, was simply knocked aside as one would bat away a fly. The monster carried itself closer to the Door, to the world of true Light, the world without Darkness, the only Light left.

Sora, regaining control of his momentum, turned over in midair and sped again at Nemesis.

Dyne, on the ground of the platform, was occupied with defending himself from the mass of tentacles that the monster was using both for legs and as weapons. The tendrils of Darkness were endless, infinite, and for each one he cut up, three more made their way toward him. The Oblivion and Oathkeeper never stopped in their circular slashing motions, and Dyne himself had sunk into a kind of trance. Still, his movements, refined and nigh perfect as they were, were beginning to fail him.

Sora came again at the Crystal, and the monster swiveled at the waistline, now facing the Keyblade Master fully. The monster opened its arms wide, and the Darkheart Eye, the intelligent core of the Crystal, locked on Sora. Sora froze as the eye released a blast of dark lightning, which arced out, then spread into a net of lethal energy. Sora, caught in the lightning, unable to avoid it, screamed.

Sora's form was engulfed in crackling electricity. The sparks ran from head to foot, eye to eye, and all over his body the electricity coursed. Sora, hovering for one last moment, dropped out of the air and came crashing into the platform, nearly slain.

Dyne immediately made a beeline for Sora, swerving and bounding right and left to avoid being caught up by the tentacles. Nemesis itself was nearing the stairwell, ignoring both Sora and Dyne, its eye now on the opened Door.

The blonde haired kid kneeled beside Sora, who was still smoking from the vicious lightning assault. The tentacles had ceased heir onslaught, for the Crystal was now so close to its goal, so close to extinguishing the last Light-

_Sora... incomplete. We're both incomplete. We can't even stand up against it, not alone._

Sora groaned, and looked up at Dyne.

"You... are you really going to do this?"

"We don't have much choice, Sora. Come on. Take my hand," responded Dyne, holding his hand out. "Let's show it what Caejan was so afraid of."

Sora raised his hand and took Dyne's. The ensuing flash was bright enough to blind any who were watching, and the flare of power caused even the Darkheart to pivot back around and see what was happening.

When the light faded, there stood Sora. His hair was a far lighter color than before, almost completely blonde, and it had shortened considerably. He was wearing the cloak of the Unknowns, signifying his reconnection with his body. He was no longer a heart-form grounded by his body's existence; he was now a whole person once more. His eyes, a deep azure, blazing Light, looked up at the Darkheart Crystal. The Keyblade Master called the Oblivion and Oathkeeper to him.

"You've gone far enough," spoke Sora, again rising into the air. He didn't even have to think about it, did not have to search for a happy thought. Dyne's consciousness, another heart within the same body, lay dormant within and provided power, strengthening Sora's own heart.

Sora, now whole again, rocketed toward the Crystal, prepared to do battle with it. He weaved back and forth and up and down as the beast tried to catch him with the endless tentacles originating from the Crystal itself. One such tendril wrapped itself about his foot. As he moved to slash the tentacle, the beast's skeletal hand grabbed a hold of him, clamping him in place.

Sora growled, fighting to free himself. He felt the beast's hand give way as he forced it open, and lashed out at the hand as it tried to grab him again. He severed the fingers off of it, slashed through another mass of tentacles, and lashed out at and through the beast's other hand. He launched himself at the ribcage weapons raised to break the shell open, and...

He was looking dead into the Darkheart Eye. The ribcage had already gone, melted away at the will of the Crystal. Sora halted in midair, feeling his entire body become frigid. Darkness, of a magnitude Sora could not even begin to comprehend, swirled within the Crystal's pupil. The Darkness burst forth in one tiny beam aimed at Sora's chest.

Sora was jolted. There was the sound of tearing, of ripping apart, and he felt both blasted backwards and sucked inwards at the same time. He felt detached from his body, could no longer feel Dyne in his heart, could no longer feel Dyne's thoughts, could not even feel his existence, and soon couldn't feel anything at all except the dizzying sensation of moving at an unfathomable speed.

From the perspective of one watching the battle itself, the beam would pass through Sora's chest, and he would freeze in midair, his eyes glazing over. His body would drop to the ground, and all that would be left was Sora's glowing form, hovering in place, staring in fear at the Eye. Sora's form then burst into a haze of azure energy and was drawn into the Eye itself.

* * *

Sora stood in the Nothing. He stood in Oblivion; he stood in the core of Darkness itself. He felt the Light within him being eaten alive, becoming dull and lifeless and hopeless. The sheer intensity of the Darkness itself here was enough to make a person stop existing; he felt his memories being washed away, faces becoming blurred and malformed until he could no longer recognize anyone.

And then he began to walk. He walked forward, walked onward, walked through the Darkness because he knew, though he was forgetting why, that there was something beyond and that if he just kept going then everything would be okay, even if everything was okay now.

In the center of this abyss he saw a dark light, shining down on what had to be some kind of dead tree. A nightmare tree. From the branches hung two chains, and these chains were padlocked, wrapped about the wrists of a boy. The boy was somehow _part_ of the tree, his body sunk into the trunk of it, and vines came out of the tree and wrapped themselves across his chest, circling around his heart. Sora could see his heart, too; it was in the hollow of his chest, pulsing with a dying light that grew ever-nearer to becoming extinguished. The closer Sora came, however, the brighter the light became.

The imprisoned boy, whose hair was black and red, groaned, lifting his head as though awakened from a long sleep. He looked groggily at the new boy (who had forgotten his own name), and gave his name back to him.

"Sora... what...?"

Sora took a step forward, moved a little closer to the tree, and felt the pulse of a greater heart beating with the imprisoned boy's heart. He looked at the tree-boy once again, and saw the shining heart-shaped pendant around his neck. There was something about him-

"Sora... what are you doing here? How did...?

"Your name... it's Asher, right?"

The tree-boy lowered his head, looking absolutely ashamed.

"I didn't think you'd come."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sora, the Heart Key... take it, and flood this place with Light."

"I don't... keyblade? The Heart Key..."

Something tugged at the back of Sora's mind. Something was beginning to break through. He could feel it, first a small mote in the back of his mind, then growing larger. Asher's light was growing stronger, and Sora's along with it.

"He won't destroy me... he'll come close, but when I go, he goes, too. My heart is also the heart of this monster..."

"Who is 'he', Asher?"

"My... my father. He's here. He _is_ this place, he _is_ Nemesis. I created him, and now it's too late…"

Sora felt memories of himself, channeled through his own shadow, coming back to him. Asher's heart, free-floating in his opened chest, was reflecting the buried light in Sora's heart.

"What are you talking about! You mean-"

"It's all my fault... you have to stop him before he destroys the Light. Can't you feel it? The power of the Light, even in these depths?"

"Yes... I can."

"Take the Heart Key from me, use it on me. Fill this place with the Light, and the Darkness will cease to exist..."

"But..."

"Sora, this is a task that is supposed to be Riku's. Riku doesn't have a shadow... you do. Maybe that's what went wrong. Riku was supposed to be the Keyblade Master, not you... he was supposed to sacrifice himself, not you. Now we have a chance to break the cycle. Please, Sora, just do it!"

"Asher..."

"There's no choice! Take the Heart Key!"

Sora took a deep breath, fighting the tears that were beginning to sting his eyes. He extended his hand out, pulling the Heart Key from thin air. He looked it over, trying to think of another way but being unable to.

"Do it!"

Sora, nodding faintly, drew his arm back. He launched forward and plunged the Heart Key into Asher's heart.

* * *

The Darkheart Crystal loomed before the Door. If it could feel emotions such as irony, supremacy, power, it would be laughing. It would be laughing at how simple it was to overtake the Light, and that after all was said and done the Light would finally be extinguished and that would be the end.

If Nemesis felt such an emotion as nervousness, it would have done so then, as well. Something was not right within itself; the dim Light that had been Asher's, that was buried deep within itself, was growing stronger.

If the Crystal could feel such an emotion as terror, it would have done so the moment the Light burst from within the door and straight into the Crystal itself, dissolving the crystal-black ribcage and slamming into the surface of the Darkheart. Deep within the swirling blackness, Sora felt the power surge through him, channeled through the Heart Key, pulsing straight into Asher's heart, the heart of the Darkness itself. The Light, buried deep within the Dark, grew stronger.

If the Crystal could feel such an emotion as despair, it would have done so as its crystalline surface cracked and shattered, the Light from within too great to be chained down any longer. The tendrils of dark power were immolated instantly, and the Darkheart Crystal was no more.

All there was left was Sora and the Light.


	26. LF TTCBS 5

**

* * *

Lost Fragments - ****The Traverse Town Cup Battle Series**

**Part 5

* * *

**

Aerith, Yuffie, Pandora, and Kydran all went to find Leon after his battle with Seifer, but he was nowhere to be found. Some of the people who had seen him pass through the exit gate told the group that he had left the waiting area and out into the courtyard, and the people in the courtyard said they hadn't seen him. Resigned, Aerith suggested they find Cloud. Kydran was a little more concerned about Leon, but the strained look on Aerith's face suggested they do otherwise.

"What is it now, Aerith?" queried Pandora as the four of them made their way back to the gladiators' waiting area, where Cloud would undoubtedly be preparing for his bout against Sephiroth. "What's wrong?"

"Something is strange about this tournament. First, Leon and Seifer fight, and now it's Cloud against… Sephiroth."

"Was Seifer to Leon what Sephiroth is to Cloud?" asked Kydran, inferring what he could.

"No," replied Yuffie after Aerith tried speaking and failing to do so due to her inner turmoil. "We're not sure what their relationship is. Sephiroth disappeared into the Darkness when Hollow Bastion was overrun, and Cloud never talked about him. But he's strong. Very, very strong. The only person I've ever seen beat him is Sora."

"…whaaat? That goofy kid? Sephiroth can't be **that** bad, then."

Aerith shook her head.

"From the energies I sense from Sephiroth… I believe he's Cloud's shadow. I don't think he always was, though. Something happened between them in Hollow Bastion, when the Darkness came, or somewhere in Ansem's experiments. Cloud has a very strong heart, and it's filled with Light, even though you can't see it. Sephiroth's Darkness mirrors Cloud's Light. It's made him more powerful than ever before."

Kydran pushed the large wooden doors to the waiting area open for the three women, and waved them in. Pandora offered a playful curtsy, and the black-haired boy grinned. Yuffie gave elbowed him jokingly, and Aerith followed her in, face unmoved. The tournament was doing a poor job of relieving the stress from her heart.

As the wielder of the Heart Key closed the door, Sora called to him from inside the room. The Keyblade Master rose from the stone bench he had been sitting on and approached his green-eyed companion.

"Hey, Kydran… you know what the next fight is, right? It's gonna be awesome!"

"Cloud against some Sephiroth guy. I don't know… Cloud's got that big freaking sword. Whoever this Sephiroth is is gonna have a tough time, I think."

"You'll see. Come on," Sora said, moving out of the waiting area. Kydran gave Aerith, Cloud, and, finally, Pandora a glance in turn, and then followed Sora to the stands. Pandora called after them, jogged to catch up with them, and they left.

Watching the three young ones leave, Aerith turned to face Cloud.

"What's going to happen, Cloud? You have to face Sephiroth. It had to happen sometime."

The spiky-haired blonde fighter folded his arms, eyes closed. The warrior considered the claw on his left arm for a moment, and then looked to Aerith with eyes of deep blue.

"The Darkness isn't in him any longer, Aerith."

"What do you mean? Is it like with Seifer?"

"Yes. Leon couldn't see. The Darkness is gone. Even within me."

"Why? What happened?"

"I don't know. It happened about a month before Sora came. The Darkness within me shriveled away…"

"It has to have something to do with that monster, the one that destroyed Traverse Town…"

Cloud nodded. Aerith took a breath, and moved closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Cloud… will you be able to stop him? He's so powerful…"

The flower girl received only silence, the answer she knew she would get. Sighing, she tightened her embrace.

"Don't let him win, Cloud. He'll kill you if you don't kill him."

Cloud only nodded as the bell tolled, calling him into the field.

* * *

Kydran sat with Pandora in his lap, in the front row of the stands, among hundreds of screaming spectators, Sora being one of them. He was not watching the two warriors within the pit. His eyes were distant, almost hazy. Something moved behind them, a movement as inconspicuous as the movement within the black orb at the base of the Xinlong. Pandora hadn't seen his eyes, but she knew that something felt wrong. 

Her violet eyes shifted to Sora, who was at the edge of his seat, looking into the pit, straining to hear the words that Cloud and Sephiroth were exchanging. Both stood in the center of the large field, Cloud grasping the cloth-wrapped Buster Sword in one hand, Sephiroth standing fully upright with the Masamune tucked into the crook of his arm.

Kydran's arms tightened around her. Though he was seeing the other side of the coliseum, he was not registering it. He felt only the emotions of long-gone memories, those buried deep within, those thath ad been stolen from him that he knew he had to have but didn't. No images moved behind his eyes, only a deep ache in his heart that made him afraid.

The girl took his gloved hands in hers and squeezed them, bringing them to her heart and holding them here. She looked away from the two fighters, attention drawn away by Kydran. She didn't turn to look at him, but rather sensed for his emotions, trying to understand.

"Kydran…?"

Either he hadn't responded, or the crowd had drowned out whatever he had said as the bell tolled once more and the match began. His hold tightened. The girl grunted, surprised by the sudden pressure. It was tight enough to be uncomfortable.

(_there they are)_

She heard his breathing hitch, as though he were stifling a sob. She frowned, and turned to try to face him.

"Kydran, what's wrong?"

(_what are you doing, ash-_)

He only shivered in response. The sound of clashing steel rang out to reach her ears, but it wasn't registering. She wiggled, attempting to loosen his hold.

(_this isn't you this can't be you you're not the one I love_)

He squeezed tighter. This time, she was in pain; his grip was stronger than she thought it could be. She fought to speak, squeezing out his name, and then looking wildly around. Nobody was noticing her or the boy clutching her as though she was his heart.

"Kydran!" she strained. There was a flash of power from the pits, and the sound of a swordfight intensified. Her eyes shot around.

"Please… don't… don't ever leave me…"

Kydran's voice was distant. She struggled, but he only grabbed tighter. She felt her bones bending under the pressure. She fought to scream.

"So… SORA!" she finally squealed, managing to get the boy's attention.

"What?" Sora responded, the sound of her voice causing him to turn. His eyes shot open. "KYDRAN!"

Sora's hands shot out, grabbing a hold of the black-clad boy's to tear them off of Pandora.

The Keyblade Master blacked out.

* * *

Cloud stood facing his shadow. 

The black-clad Sephiroth regarded the man across from him through burning emerald eyes. The man moved a bang from directly before his face and drew the Masamune from its place in the crook of his left arm, and spoke, his voice unmocking.

"Do you believe you can defeat me, Cloud?"

The spiky-haired blonde sank into his fighting stance, holding the Buster Sword out before him. His claw-like left hand screeched a little against the steel of the handle. The man's eyes narrowed.

"The Darkness is gone within you. I can feel the change, I can smell it."

"Only because it has changed in you, too," smirked the silver-haired fighter, resting his six-foot-long sword against his waist and planting his feet into the dust of the arena. "Come. Let us see which is stronger: a weak Light, or a shadow without Darkness."

There was a slight crunching sound that ensued as Cloud planted his back foot, bracing it as he pushed off for his initial bound forward. Sephiroth did not smile, not yet, but rather waited, eyes locked on his foe, his 'better' half.

Cloud was within range. The blonde-haired fighter reared his massive weapon back, preparing to bring it screaming down into Sephiroth's head, but instead he found the Masamune on a direct course with his knees.

Sephiroth had sunk into a deep lunge, and with one hand and brought his blade roaring from his side, with all intention of permanently impairing Cloud's ability to walk. The blue-eyed warrior replied by turning his attack into a parry, and was instantly aware that Sephiroth had taken control of the fight in that instant, placing Cloud on the defensive.

The taller fighter pressed his advantage, moving forward and swinging the weapon in an arc that would cut Cloud from top to bottom if it was not dealt with, to which Cloud defended with his own weapon. With Cloud's blade out of the way, the One-Winged Angel launched a boot out into Cloud's exposed gut.

The SOLDIER's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he was sent stumbling back, hunched over, breathless. Sephiroth wasted no time, and although Cloud had gained some distance (with the help of the kick in the stomach), he hadn't been able to cover the six-foot range of the Masamune, which Sephiroth used to make a tip-cut to Cloud's head.

Cloud, however, was not unused to pain, and had had the presence of mind to lift his upper body just out of the reach of his attacker's blow. His opponent's swing, however, had been made across his own body, leaving all of Sephiroth's back exposed.

Blades clashed once again as Cloud's attempted monopolization of Sephiroth's opening revealed the sharpness of his foe's cunning. Sephiroth turned his weapon vertically, deflecting Cloud's vertical strike while allowing him the time to leap back a step, thus giving the One-Winged Angel the room to change the vertical blade to horizontal, and to drive the tip of the weapon toward Cloud's now-opened chest.

The sound of arguing steel rang out as Cloud defended, then countered, and was countered. The two danced about the center of the pit, their massive swords flashing in the daylight.

Cloud swatted away a half-hearted prod by the Masamune and launched forward with his own lunge. The emerald-eyes fighter grinned, leaping backwards and upwards, levitating out of reach. Cloud's eyes narrowed, and he followed his foe into the air.

Sephiroth, allowed time to call forth power, drew on not the Darkness that was now gone from within him but the power of the in-between he had found left in its wake, the power Seifer had not been able to wield. Azure lightning burst from his opened palm, and Cloud was barely able to avoid the lethal spray of heart-driven electricity. The man planted a foot in midair, and focused. A slight smile touched Cloud's lips.

The One-Winged Angel's eyes narrowed, for he knew what any show of emotion in Cloud's face could indicate; and suddenly, before the thought could so much as be completed, Cloud had already initiated a mid-air Sonic Blade. The spiky-haired gladiator's form blurred and was at once gone from sight.

Sephiroth winced slightly at the pain the Buster Sword brought as it bit into his side. The black-clad warrior hadn't been able to deflect it fully, and had only enough time to whip around in mid-air and deflect the next.

The sound of hypersonic movement and the clash of steel exploded outward, causing the crowd to draw back and cheer harder.

Cloud's advantage could only last so long, however, before he was forced to return to normal speed. An infuriated Sephiroth's emerald eyes narrowed on his opposing combatant, who was now standing far below him with his boots planted in the dust of the arena floor. Cloud looked up at his silver-haired shadow, and braced himself.

Violet energy radiated from Sephiroth's form. He was engulfed in an aura of the same color; the world seemed to turn dark. The silver-haired gladiator rocketed downward, left hand cocked back, Masamune in his right prepared to swing.

Cloud attempted to leap backwards from his place on the ground in a bid to get some ground between himself and his shadow, but Sephiroth was atop him immediately.

Before Cloud was able to move left or right, the One-Winged Angel released a pair of hexagon-grid spheres, glowing with azure heart-energy. The pair exploded into violet light at Cloud's sides, and in that instant Cloud was thrown into a flurry of parries, fighting to keep the Masamune from cleaving him apart.

_Where did he get this power? The Darkness is gone from within him,_ thought Cloud, but in that fraction of a second he had lost the match.

Sephiroth's blade came down.


End file.
